
Glass. 
Book. 






1 7^ 



ASTORIA; 



I WHUWi») « ll'."' ' "* ««8 ' 



ANECDOTES OF AN ENTERPRISE 



BEYOND THE 



EOOKT MOTTNTAI-ISrS. 



BY 

WASHINGTON IRVING. 



AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITION. 
COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME. 



NEW YORK: 
G. P. PUTNAM AND SON, 661 Broadway. 

Opposite Bond Street. 

1868. 



WAY 2 7 1804 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by 

G. P. Putnam and Son, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of 

New York. 



Transfer 



^'■\ 



RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE : 

STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BT 

H. 0. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. 



ASTORIA. 



fenicfeerbocfter <SDttion» 




INTRODUCTION. 




IN the course of occasional visits to Canada 
many years since, I became intimately ac- 
quainted with some of the principal part- 
ners of the great Northwest Fur Company, 
who at that time lived in genial style at Montreal, 
and kept almost open house for the stranger. At 
their hospitable boards I occasionally met with 
partners, and clerks, and hardy fur traders from the 
interior posts ; men who had passed years remote 
from civilized society, among distant and savage 
tribes, and who had wonders to recount of their wide 
and wild peregrinations, their hunting exploits, and 
their perilous adventures and hair-breadth escapes 
among the Indians. I was at an age when imag- 
ination lends its coloring to everything, and the 
stories of these Sinbads of the wilderness made the 
life of a trapper and fur trader perfect romance to 
me. I even meditated at one time a visit to the re- 
mote posts of the company in the boats which annu- 
ally ascended the lakes and rivers, being thereto in- 
vited by one of the partners ; and I have ever since 
regretted that I was prevented by circumstances from 
carrying my intention into effect. From those early 
impressions, the grand enterprise of the great fur 
companies, and the hazardous errantry of their asso- 
ciates in the wild parts of our vast continent, have 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

always been themes of cbarmed interest to me ; and 
I have felt anxious to get at the details of their ad« 
venturous expeditions among the savage tribes that 
peopled the depths of the wilderness. 

About two years ago, not long after my return 
from a tour upon the prairies of the far West, I had 
a conversation with my friend, Mr. John Jacob Astor, 
relative to that portion of our country, and to the 
adventurous tradei's to Santa Fe and the Columbia. 
This led him to avert to a great enterprise set on 
foot and conducted by him, between twenty and 
thirty years since, having for its object to carry the 
fur trade across the Rocky Mountains, and to sweep 
the shores of the Pacific. 

Finding that I took an interest in the subject, he 
expressed a regret that the true nature and extent 
of his enterprise and its national character and im- 
portance had never been understood, and a wish that 
I would undertake to give an account of it. The 
suggestion struck upon the chord of early associations 
already vibrating in my mind. It occurred to me 
that a work of this kind might comprise a variety of 
those curious details, so interesting to me, illustrative 
of the fur trade ; of its remote and adventurous en- 
terprises, and of the various people, and tribes, and 
castes, and characters, civilized and savage, affected 
by its operations. The journals, and letters, also, of 
the adventurers by sea and land employed by Mr. 
Astor in his comprehensive project, might throw light 
upon portions of our country quite out of the track 
of ordinary travel, and as yet but little known. I 
therefore felt disposed to undertake the task, provided 
documents of sufficient extent and minuteness could 
be furnished to me. All the papers relative to the 
enterprise was accordingly submitted to my inspec- 
tion. Among them ^ere journals and letters nar 



INTRODUCTION. vii 

rating expeditions by sea, and journeys to and fro 
across the Rocky Mountains by routes before untrav- 
elled, together with documents illustrative of savage 
and colonial life on the borders of the Pacific. 
With such material in hand, I undertook the Avork. 
The trouble of rummaging among business papers, 
and of collecting and collating facts from amidst 
tedious and commonplace details, was spared me by 
my nephew, Pierre M. Irving, who acted as my pi- 
oneer, and to whom I am greatly indebted for 
smoothing my path and lightening my labors. 

As the journals, on which I chiefly depended, had 
been kept by men of business, intent upon the main 
object of the enterprise, and but little versed in sci- 
ence, or curious about matters not immediately bear- 
ing upon their interests, and as they were written 
often in moments of fatigue or hurry, amid the in- 
conveniences of wild encampments, they were often 
meagre in their details, furnishing hints to provoke 
rather than narratives to satisfy inquiry. I have, 
therefore, availed myself occasionaUy of collateral 
lights supplied by the published journals of other 
travellers who have visited the scenes described : 
such as Messrs. Lewis and Clarke, Bradbury, Breck- 
enridge. Long, Franchere, and Ross Cox, and make 
a general acknowledgment of aid received from these 
quarters. 

The work I here present to the public, is neces- 
sarily of a rambling and somewhat disjointed nature, 
comprising various expeditions and adventures by 
land and sea. The facts, however, will prove to be 
linked and banded together by one grand scheme, 
devised and conducted by a master spirit ; one set 
of characters, also, continues throughout, appearing 
occasionally, though sometimes at long intervals, and 
the whole enterprise winds up by a regular catastro- 



Vlll 



INTRODUCTION. 



phe ; so that the work, without any labored attempt 
at aitificial construction, actually possesses much of 
that unity so much sought after in works of fiction, 
and considered so important to the interest of every 
hisiory. 




CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

Objects of American enterprise — gold hunting and fur 
trading — their effect on colonization — eariy 
French Canadian settlers — Ottowa and Huron 
hunters — an Indian trading camp — courieurs des 
bois, or rangers of the woods — their roaming life 

— their revels and excesses — licensed traders ^- 
missionaries — trading posts — primitive French 
Canadian merchant — his establishment and de- 
pendents — British Canadian fur merchant — ori- 
gin of the Northwest Company — its constitution 

— its internal trade — a candidate for the com- 
pany — privations in the wilderness — northwest 
clerks — northwest partners — a northwest nabob 

— feudal notions in the forests — the lords of the 
lakes — Fort William — its pariiamentary hall 
and banqueting room — wassailing in the wilder- 



CHAPTER II. 

Rise of the Mackinaw Company — attempt of the 
American government to counteract foreign influ- 
ence over the Indian tribes — John Jacob Astor — 
his birth-place — his arrival in the United States 
— what first turned his attention to the fur trade — 
his character, enterprises, and success — his com- 
munications with the American government — 
origin of the American Fur Company, . . . 17 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER III. 

PAGE 

Fur trade in the Pacific — American coasting voyages 
— Russian enterprises — discovery of the Colum- 
bia River — Carver's project to found a settlement 
there — Mackenzie's expedition — Lewis and 
Clarke's journey across the Rocky Mountains — 
Mr. Astor's grand commercial scheme — his cor- 
respondence on the subject with Mr. Jefferson — 
his negotiations with the Northwest Company — 
his steps to carry his scheme into effect, . . 24 

CHAPTER IV. 

Two expeditions set on foot — the Tonquin and her 
crew — Captain Thorn, his character — the part- 
ners and clerks — Canadian voyageurs, their hab- 
its, employments, dress, character, songs — expe- 
dition of a Canadian boat and its crew by land and 
water — arrival at New York — preparations for a 
sea voyage — northwest braggarts — underhand 
precautions — letter of instructions, ... 40 

CHAPTER V. 

Sailing of the Tonquin — a rigid commander and a 
reckless crew — landsmen on shipboard — fresh 
water sailors at sea — lubber nests — ship fare — 
a Labrador veteran — literary clerks — curious 
travellers — Robinson Crusoe's Island — quarter- 
deck quarrels — Falkland Islands — a wild-goose 
chase — Port Egmont — epitaph hunting — Old 
Morality — penguin shooting — sportsmen left in 
the lurch — a hard pull — further altercations — 
arrival at Owyhee, . . . . . . 50 

CHAPTER VI. 

Owyhee — Sandwich Islanders — their nautical tal- 
ents — Tamaahmaah — his navy — his negotia- 
tions — views of Mr. Astor with respect to the 



CONTENTS. XI 



Sandwich Islands — Karakakora — royal monop- 
oly of pork — description of the islanders — gay- 
eties on shore — chronicler of the island — place 
where Captain Cook was killed — John Young, a 
nautical governor — his story — Waititi — a 
royal residence — a royal visit — grand ceremo- 
nials — close dealing — a royal pork merchant — 
grievances of a matter-of-fact man, ... 64 

CHAPTER VII. 

Departure from the Sandwich Islands — misunder- 
standings — miseries of a suspicious man — arri- 
val at the Columbia — dangerous service — 
gloomy apprehensions — bars and breakers — 
perils of the ship — disasters of a boat's crew — 
burial of a Sandwich Islander, .... 80 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Mouth of the Columbia — the native tribes — their 
fishing — their canoes — bold navigators — eques- 
trian Indians and piscator}' Indians, difference in 
their physical organization — search for a trading 
site — expedition of M'Dougal and David Stewart 
— Comcomly, the one-eyed chieftain — influence 
of wealth in savage life — slavery among the na- 
tives — an aristocracy of Flatheads — hospitality 
among the Chinooks — Comcomly's daughter — 
her conquest, 90 



CHAPTER IX. 

Point George — founding of Astoria — Indian visitors 

— their reception — the captain taboos the ship — 

— departure of the Tonquin — comments on the 
conduct of Captain Thorn, 

h 



xii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

PAGE 

Disquieting rumors from the interior — reconnoitring 
party — preparations for a trading post — an un- 
expected arrival — a spy in the camp — expedition 
into the interior — shores of the Columbia — 
Mount Coflin — Indian Sepulchre — the land of 
spirits — Columbian valley — Vancouver's Point 

— falls and rapids — a great fishing mart — the 
village of Wish-ram — difference between fishing 
Indians and hunting Indians — eftects of habits 
of trade on the Indian character — post established 

at the Oakinagan, . .... 104 

CHAPTER XI. 

Alarm at Astoria — rumor of Indian hostilities — pre- 
parations for defence — tragical fate of the Ton- 
quin, 118 

CHAPTER XII. 

Gloom at Astoria — an ingenious stratagem — the 
small-pox chief — launching of the Dolly — an ar- 
rival—a Canadian trapper — a freeman of the 
forest — an Iroquois hunter — winter on the Col- 
umbia — festivities of New Year, . . . 132 

CHAPTER XHI. 

Expedition by land — Wilson P. Hunt — his character 

— Donald M'Kenzie — recruiting service among 
the voyageurs — a bark canoe — chapel of St. 
Anne — votive offerings — pious carousals — a 
ragged regiment — Mackinaw — picture of at rad- 
ing post — frolicking voyageurs — swells and 
swaggerers — Indian coxcombs — a man of the 
north — jockeyship of voyageurs — inefficacy of 
gold — weight of a feather — Mr. Ramsay Crooks 

— his character — his risks among the Indians — 
his warning concerning Sioux and Blackfeet — 
embarkation of recruits — parting scenes between 



CONTENTS. . Xiii 

PAGE 

brothers, cousins, wives, sweethearts, and pot com- 
panions, 141 

CHAPTER XIV. 

St. Louis — its situation — motley population — 
French Creole traders and their dependents — Mis- 
souri Fur Company — Mr. Manuel Lisa — Missis- 
sippi boatmen — vagrant Indians — Kentucky 
hunters — old French mansion — tiddling — bil- 
liards — Mr. Joseph Miller — his character — re- 
cruits — vo^^age up the Missouri — difficulties of 
the river — merits of Canadian voyageurs — arri- 
val at the Nodowa — Mr. Robert M'Lellan joins 
the party — John Day, a Virginia hunter — de- 
scription of him — Mr. Hunt returns to St. Louis, 153 

CHAPTER XV. 

Opposition of the Missouri Fur Company — Blackfeet 
Indians — Pierre Dorion, a half-breed interpreter 

— old Dorion and his h^'brid progeny— family 
quarrels — cross purposes between Dorion and Lisa 

— renegadoes from Nodowa — perplexities of a 
commander — Messrs. Bradbury and Nuttall join 
the expedition — legal embarrassments of Pierre 
Dorion — departure from St. Louis — conjugal dis- 
cipline of a half-breed — annual swelling of the 
rivers — Daniel Boon, the patriarch of Kentucky 

— John Colter — his adventures among the In- 
dians — rumors of danger ahead — Fort Osage — 
an Indian war-feast — troubles in the Dorion fam- 
ily — Buffaloes and turkey-buzzards, ... 162 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Return of spring — appearance of snakes — great 
flights of wild pigeons — renewal of the voyage — 
night encampments — Platte River — ceremonials 
on passing it — signs of Indian war parties — 



xiv CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

magnificent prospect at Papillion Creek — deser- 
tion of two hunters — an irruption into the camp of 
Indian desperadoes — village of the Omahas — 
anecdotes of the tribe — feudal wars of the Indians 

— story of Rlackbird, the famous Omaha chief, . 180 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Rumors of danger from the Sioux Tetons — ruthless 
character of those savages — pirates of the Mis- 
soiu*i — their affair with Crooks and M'Lellan — 
a trading expedition broken up— M'Lellan's vow 
of vengeance — uneasiness in the camp — deser- 
tions — departure from the Omaha village — meet- 
ing with Jones and Carson, two adventurous trap- 
pers — scientific pursuits of Messrs. Bradbury and 
Nuttall — zeal of a botanist — adventure of Mr. 
Bradbuiy with a Ponca Indian — expedient of the 
pocket compass and microscope — a messenger 
from Lisa — motives for pressing forward, . . 196 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Camp gossip — deserters — recruits — Kentucky 
hunters — a veteran woodman — tidings of Mr. 
Henry — danger from the Blackfeet — alteration 
of plans — scenery of the river — buffalo roads — 
iron ore — country of the Sioux — a land of dan- 
ger — apprehensions of the voyageurs — Indian 
scouts — threatened hostilities — a council of war — 
an an-ay of battle — a parley. — the pipe of peace 

— speech-making, 208 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The great bend of the Missouri — Crooks and M'Lellan 
meet with two of their Indian opponents — wan- 
ton outrage of a white man the cause of Indian 
hostility — dangers and precautions — an Indian 



CONTENTS. XV 

PAGE 

■war party — dangerous situation of Mr. Hunt — 
a friendly encampment — feasting and dancing — 
approach of Manuel Lisa and bis party — a grim 
meeting between old rivals — Pierre Dorion in a 
fury — a burst of chivalry, .... 221 

CHAPTER XX. 

Features of the -wilderness — herds of buffalo — ante- 
lopes — their varieties and habits — John Day — 
his hunting stratagem — interview with three 
Arickaras — negotiations between the rival parties 

— the Left-handed and the Big Man, two Arickara 
chiefs — Arickara village — its inhabitants — cer- 
emonials on landing — a council lodge — grand 
conference — speech of Lisa — negotiation for 
horses — shrewd suggestion of Gray Eyes, an Aric- 
kara chief — encampment of the trading parties, 231 

CHAPTER XXL 

An Indian horse fair — love of the Indians for horses 

— scenes in the Arickara village — Indian hospi- 
tality — duties of Indian women — game habits 
of the men — their indolence — love of gossiping — 
rumors of lurking enemies — scouts — an alarm — 
a sallying forth — Indian dogs — return of a horse- 
stealing party — an Indian deputation — fresh 
alarms — return of a successful war party — dress 
of the Arickaras — Indian toilet — triumphal 
entry of the war party — meetings of relations 
and friends — Indian sensibility — meeting of a 
wounded warrior and his mother — festivities and 
lamentations, 244 

CHAPTER XXIL 

Wilderness of the Far West — great American desert 

— parched seasons — Black Hills — Rocky Moun- 
tains — wandering and predatory hordes — specu- 



xvi CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



lations on what may be the future population — 
apprehended dangers — a plot to desert — Rose 
the interpreter — his sinister character — depart- 
ure from the Arickara village, .... 258 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Summer weather of the prairies — purity of the at- 
mosphere — Canadians on the march — sickness 
in the camp — Big River — vulgar nomenclature 
— suggestions about the original Indians names — 
camp of Cheyennes — trade for horses — charac- 
ter of the Cheyennes — their horsemanship — his- 
torical anecdotes of the tribe, .... 265 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

New distribution of horses — secret information of trea- 
son in the camp — Rose the interpreter — his per- 
fidious character — his plots — anecdotes of the 
Crow Indians — notorious horse stealers — some 
account of Rose — a desperado of the frontier, . 272 

CHAPTER XX\^. 

Substitute for fuel on the prairies — fossil trees — fierce- 
ness of the buffaloes when in heat — three hunters 
missing — signal fires and smokes — uneasiness 
concerning the lost men — a plan to forestall a 
rogue — new arrangement with Rose — return of 
the wanderers, 277 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Black Mountains — haunts of predatory Indians — 
their wild and broken appearance — superstitions 
concerning them — thunder spirits — singular 
noises in the mountains — secret mines — hidden 
treasures — mountains in labor — scientific expla- 
nation — impassable defiles — black-tailed deer 



CONTENTS. xvii 

PAGB 

— the bighorn or ahsahta — prospect from a lofty- 
height — plain with herds of buffalo — distant 
peaks of the Rocky Mountains — alarms in the 
camp — tracks of grizzly bears — dangerous na- 
ture of this animal — adventures of William Can- 
non and John Day with grizzly bears, . . 284 

CHAPTER XXVir. 

Indian trial — rough mountain travelling — sufferings 
from hunger and thirst — Powder River— game 
in abundance — a hunter's paradise — mountain 
peak seen at a great distance — one of the Bighorn 
chain — Rocky Mountains — extent — appearance 

— height — the great American desert — various 
characteristics of the mountains — Indian supersti- 
tions concerning them — land of souls — towns 
of the free and generous spirits — happy hunting 
grounds, 294 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Region of the Crow Indians — scouts on the lookout 

— visit from a crew of hard riders — a Crow camp 

— presents to the Crow chief — bargaining — 
Crow bullies — Rose among his Indians friends — 
parting with the Crows — perplexities among the 
mountains — more of the Crows — equestrian 
children — search after stragglers, . . . 301 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Mountain glens — wandering band of savages — anec- 
dotes of Shoshonies and Flatheads — root diggei-s 
— their solitary lurking habits — gnomes of the 
mountains — Wind River — scarcity of food — 
alteration of route — the Pilot Knobs or Tetons — 
branch of the Colorado — hunting camp, . . 309 



XVm CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



PAGE 



A plentiful hunting camp — Shoshonie hunters — Ho- 
back's River — Mad River — encampment near the 
Pilot Knobs — a consultation — preparations for a 
perilous voyage, 319 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

A consultation whether to proceed by land or water — 
preparations for boat building — an exploring 
party — a part}' of trappers detached — two 
Snake visitors — their report concerning the river 
— confirmed by the exploring party — Mad River 
abandoned — arrival at Henry's Fort — detach- 
ment of Robinson, Hoback, and Kezner to trap — 
Mr. Miller resolves to accompany them — their 
departure, 324 

CHAPTER XXXH. 

Scanty fare — a mendicant Snake — embarkation on 
Heniy River —joy of the voyageurs — arrival at 
Snake River — rapids and breakers — beginning 
of misfortunes — Snake encampments — parley 
with a savage — a second disaster — loss of a 
boatman — the Caldron Linn, .... 333 

CHAPTER XXXHI. 

Gloomy council — exploring parties — discouraging 
reports — disastrous experiment — detachments in 
quest of succor — caches, how made — return of 
one of the detachments — unsuccessful — further 
disappointments — the Devil's Scuttle Hole, . 342 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Determination of the party to proceed on foot — dreary 
deserts between Snake River and the Columbia — 
distribution of effects preparatory to a march — 



CONTENTS. XIX 



division of the party — rugged march along the 
river — wild and broken scenery — Shoshonies — 
alarm of a Snake encampment — intercourse with 
the Snakes — horse dealing — value of a tin ket- 
tle—sufferings from thirst — a horse reclaimed — 
fortitude of an Indian woman — scarcity of food — 
dog's flesh a dainty — news of Mr. Crooks and 
his party — painful travelling among the moun- 
tains — snow storms — a dreary mountain pros- 
pect — a bivouac during a wintry night — return 
to the river bank, 350 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

An unexpected meeting — navigation in a skin canoe 
— strange fears of suffering men — hardships of 
Mr. Crooks and his comrades — tidings of 
M'Lellan— a retrograde march — a willow raft — 
extreme suffering of some of the party — illness of 
Mr. Crooks — impatience of some of the men — 
necessity of leaving the laggards behind, . . 364 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Mr. Hunt overtakes the advanced party — Pierre 
Dorion, and his skeleton horse — a Shoshonie 
camp — a justificable outrage — feasting on horse 
flesh — Mr. Crooks brought to the camp — under- 
takes to relieve his men — the skin ferry-boat — 
frenzy of Prevost — his melanchoh' fate — en- 
feebled state of John Day — Mr. Crooks again left 
behind — the party emerge from among the moun- 
tains — interview with Shoshonies — a guide pro- 
cured to conduct the party across a mountain — 
ferriage across Snake River — reunion with Mr. 
Crooks's men — final departure from the river, . 371 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Departure from Snake River — mountains to the norta 



XX CONTENTS. 



— wayworn travellers — an increase of the Dorion 
family — a camp of Shoshonies — a New Year fes- 
tival among the Snakes — a wintry march through 
the mountains — a sunny prospect, and milder 
climate — Indian horse - tracks — grassy valleys 

— a camp of Sciatogas — joy of the travellers — 
dangers of abundance — habits of the Sciatogas 

— fate of Carriere — the Umatalla — arrival at 
the banks of the Columbia — tidings of the scat- 
tered members of the expedition — scenery on the 
Columbia — tidings of Astoria — arrival at the 
falls, 380 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

The village of Wish-ram — roguery of the inhabitants 

— their habitations — tidings of Astoria — of the 
Tonquin massacre — thieves about the camp — a 
band of braggarts — embarkation — arrival at 
Astoria — a joyful reception — old comrades — 
adventures of Reed, M'Lellan, and M'Kenzie, 
among the Snake River Mountains — rejoicing at 
Astoria, 394 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Scanty fare during the winter — a poor hunting ground 

— the return of the fishing season — the uthlecan 
or smelt — its qualities — vast shoals of it — 
sturgeon — Indian modes of taking it — the sal- 
mon — different species — nature of the country 
about the coast — forests and forest trees — a re- 
markable flowering vine — animals — birds — 
reptiles — climate west of the mountains — mild- 
ness of the temperature — soil of the coast and the 
interior, 404 

CHAPTER XL. 

Natives in the neighborhood of Astoria — their persons 
and characteristics — causes of deformity — their 



CONTENTS. • xxi 



dress — their contempt of beards — ornaments — 
armor and weapons — mode of flattening the head 

— extent of the custom — religious belief — the 
two great spirits of the air and of the fire — priests 
or medicine men — the rival idols — poh'gamy a 
cause of greatness — petty warfare — music, danc- 
ing, gambling — thieving a virtue — keen traders 

— intrusive habits — abhorrence of drunkenness 

— anecdote of Comcomly, .... . 411 

CHAPTER XLI. 

Spring arrangements at Astoria — various expeditions 
set out — the Long Narrows — pilfering Indians 

— thievish tribe at "Wish-ram — portage at the 
falls — portage by moonlight — an attack, a rout, 
and a robbery — Indian cure for cowardice — a 
parley and compromise — the dispatch party turn 
back — meet Crooks and John Day — their suffer- 
ings — Indian perfidy — arrival at Astoria, . 421 

CHAPTER XLII. 

Comprehensive views — to suppl}* the Russian fur es- 
tablishment — an agent sent to Russia — project 
of an annual ship — the Beaver fitted out — her 
equipment and crew — instructions to the captain 

— the Sandwich Islands — rumors of the fate of 
the Tonquin — precautions on reaching the mouth 

of the Columbia, 435 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

Active operations at Astoria — various expeditions 
fitted out — Robert Stuart and a party destined for 
New York — singular conduct of John Day — his 
fate — piratical pass and hazardous portage — rat- 
tlesnakes — their abhorrence of tobacco — arrival 
among the Wallah-Wallahs — purchase of horses 



xxii CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



— departure of Stuart and his band for the moun- 
tains, 441 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

Route of Mr. Stuart — dreary wilds — thirsty travel- 
ling — a grove and streamlet — the Blue Moun- 
tains — a fertile plain with rivulets — sulphur 
spring — route along Snake River — rumors of 
white men — the Snake and his horse — a Snake 
guide — a midnight decampment — unexpected 
meeting with old comrades — story of trappers' 
hardships — Salmon Falls — a great fishery — 
mode of spearing salmon — arrival at the Caldron 
Linn — state of the caches — new resolution of 
the three Kentucky trappers, .... 457 

CHAPTER XLV. 

The Snake River deserts — scanty fare — bewildered 
travellers — proAvling Indians — a giant Crow 
chief — a bulley rebuked — Indian signals — 
smoke on the mountains — Mad River — an alarm 

— an Indian foray — a scamper — a rude Indian 
joke — a sharp-shooter balked of his shot, . 468 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

Travellers unhorsed — pedestrian preparations — prv- 
ing spies — bonfires of baggage — a march on 
foot — rafting a river — the wounded elk — In- 
dian trails — willful conduct of Mr. M'Lellan — 
grand prospect from a mountain — distant craters 
of volcanoes — illness of Mr. Crooks, . . 479 

CHAPTER XLVII. 

Ben Jones and a grizzly bear — rocky heights — 
mountain torrents — traces of M'Lellan — volcanic 
remains — mineral earths — peculiar clay for pot- 
tery — dismal plight of M'Lellan — starvation — 



CONTENTS. xxiii 

PAGE 

shocking proposition of a desperate man — a 
broken-down bull — a ravenous meal — Indian 
graves — hospitable Snakes — a forlorn alliance, 489 

CHAPTER XLYIII. 

Spanish River scenery — trial of Crow Indians — 
a snow-storm — a rousing fire and a buffalo feast 
— a plain of salt — climbing a mountain — vol- 
canic summit — extinguished crater — marine 
shells — encampment on a prairie — successful 
hunting — good cheer — romantic scenery — 
rocky defile — foaming rapids — the fiery nar- 
rows, 501 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

Wintry storms — a halt and council — cantonment for 
the winter — fine hunting country — game of the 
mountains and plains — successful hunting — Mr. 
Crooks and a grizzly bear — the wigwam — big- 
horn and blacktails — beef and venison — good 
. quarters and good cheer — an alarm — an intru- 
sion — unwelcome guests — desolation of the lar- 
der — gormandizing exploits of hungry savages — 
good quarters abandoned, 509 

CHAPTER L. 

Rough wintry travelling — hills and plains — snow 
and ice — disappearance of game — a vast dreary 
plain — a second halt for the winter — another 
wigwam — New Year's feast — bufiiilo humps, 
tongues, and marrow-bones — return of spring — 
lamich of canoes — bad navigation — pedestrian 
march — vast prairies — deserted camps — Pawnee 
squaws — an Otto Indian — news of war — voyage 
down the Platte and the Missouri — reception at 
Fort Osage — arrival at St. Louis, . . . 520 



XXIV CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER LI. 

PAOE 

Agreement between Mr. Astor and the Russian Fur 
Company — war between the United States and 
Great Britain — instructions to Captain Sowle of 
the Beaver — fitting out of the Lark — news of the 
arrival of Mr. Stuart, 530 

CHAPTER LIL 

Banks of the Wallah-Wallah — departure of David 
Stuart for the Oakinagan — Mr. Clarke's route up 
Lewis River — Chipunnish, or Pierced-nose In- 
dians — their character, appearance, and habits — 
thievish habits — laying up of the boats — post at 
Pointed Heart and Spokan Rivers — M'Konzie, his 
route up the Camoenum — bands of travelling In- 
dians — expedition of Reed to the caches — ad- 
ventures of wandering voyageurs and trappers, . 536 

CHAPTER LIII. 

Departure of Mr. Hunt in the Beaver — precautions 
at the factory — detachment to the Wollamut — . 
gloomy apprehensions — arrival of M'Kenzie — 
affairs at the Shahaptan — news of war — dismay 
of M'Dougal — determination to abandon Astoria 
— departure of M'Kenzie for the interior — ad- 
venture at the rapids — visit to the ruffians of 
Wish-ram — a perilous situation — meeting with 
M'Tavish and his party — arrival at the Shahap- 
tan — plundered caches — determination of the 
wintering partners not to leave the country — ar- 
rival of Clarke among the Nez Perces — the affair 
of the silver goblet — hanging of an Indian. — 
arrival of the wintering partners at Astoria, . 545 

CHAPTER LIV. 

The partners displeased with M'Dougal — equivocal 
conduct of that gentleman — partners agree to 



CONTENTS. XXV 



PAGE 

abandon Astoria — sale of goods to M'Tavish — 
arrangements for the year ^ manifesto signed by 
the partners — departure of M'Tavish for the in- 
terior, 560 

CHAPTER LV. 

Anxieties of Mr. Astor — memorial of the Northwest 
Companj' — tidings of a British naval expedition 
against Astoria — Mr. Astor applies to govern- 
ment for protection — the frigate Adams ordered to 
be fitted out — bright news from Astoria — sun- 
shine suddenly overclouded, .... 566 

CHAPTER LVI. 

Affairs of state at Astoria — M'Dougal proposes for the 
hand of an Indian princess — matrimonial em- 
bassy to Comcomly — matrimonial notions among 
the Chinooks — settlements and pin-money — the 
bringing home of the bride — a managing father- 
in-law— arrival of Mr. Hunt at Astoria, . . 570 

CHAPTER LVn. 

Voyage of the Beaver to New Archangel — a Russian 
governor— roystering rule — the tyranny of the 
table — hard drinking bargains — voyage to Kamt- 
schatka— seal -catching establishment at St. Paul's 
— storms at sea — Mr. Hunt left at the Sandwich 
Islands — transactions of the Beaver at Canton — 
return of Mr. Hunt to Astoria, .... 575 

CHAPTER LVIII. 

Arrangements among the partners — Mr. Hunt sails in 
the Albatross — arrives at the Marquesas — news 
of the frigate Phoebe — Mr. Hunt proceeds to the 
Sandwich Islands — voyage of the Lark — her 
shipwreck — transactions with the natives of the 
Sandwich Islands — conduct of Tamaahmaah, . 586 



xxvi CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER LIX. 



PAGE 



Arrival of M'Tavish at Astoria — conduct of his fol- 
lowers — negotiations of M'Dougal and M'Tavish 

— bargain for the transfer of Astoria — doubts en- 
tertained of the loyalty of M'Dougal, . • . 595 

CHAPTER LX. 

Arrival of a strange sail — agitation at Astoria — war- 
like offer of Comcomly — Astoria taken possession 
of by the British — indignation of Comcomly at 
the conduct of his son-in-law, .... 602 

CHAPTER LXI. 

Arrival of the brig Pedler at Astoria — breaking up of 
the establishment — departure of several of the 
company — tragical story told by the squaw of 
Pierre Dorion — fate of Reed and his companions 

— attempts of Mr. Astor to renew his enterprise — 
disappointment — concluding observations and re- 
flections, 608 

APPENDIX. 

Draught of a petition to Congress, sent by Mr. Astor m 

1812, 625 

Letter from IMr. Gallatin to Mr. Astor, . . . 628 
Notices of the present state of the Fur Trade, chiefly 
extracted from an article published in Silliman's 

Journal for January, 1834:, 631 

Height of the Rocky Mountains, .... 640 

Suggestions with respect to the Indian tribes, and the 

protection of our Trade, 642 




ASTORIA. 



CHAPTER I. 

I WO leading objects of commercial gain 
have given birth to wide and daring 
enterprise in the early history of the 
Americas ; the precious metals of the South, and 
the rich peltries of the North. While the fiery 
and magnificent Spaniard, inflamed with the 
mania for gold, has extended his discoveries and 
conquests over those brilliant countries scorched 
by the ardent sun of the tropics, the adroit and 
buoyant Frenchman, and the cool and calculating 
Briton, have pursued the less splendid, but no 
less lucrative, traffic in furs amidst the hyperbo- 
rean regions of the Canadas, until they have ad- 
vanced even within the Arctic Circle. 

These two pursuits have thus in a manner 
been the pioneers and precursors of civilization. 
Without pausing on the borders, they have pene- 
trated at once, in defiance of difficulties and 
dangers, to the heart of savage countries : laying 
open the hidden secrets of the wilderness ; lead- 
ing the way to remote regions of beauty and 
fertility that might have remained unexplored for 



2 ASTORIA. 

ages, and beckoning after them the slow and 
pausing steps of agriculture and civilization. 

It was the fur trade, in fact, which gave early 
sustenance and vitality to the great Canadian 
provinces. Being destitute of the precious 
metals, at that time the leading objects of Amer- 
ican enterprise, they were long neglected by the 
parent country. The French adventurers, how- 
ever, who had settled on the banks of the St. 
Lawrence, soon found that in the rich peltries of 
the interior, they had sources of wealth that 
might almost rival the mines of Mexico and 
Peru. The Lidians, as yet unacquainted with 
the artificial value given to some descriiDtions of 
furs, in civilized life, brought quantities of the 
most precious kinds and bartered them away for 
European trinkets and cheap commodities. Im- 
mense profits were thus made by the early 
traders, and the traffic was pursued with avidity. 

As the valuable furs soon became scarce in the 
neighborhood of the settlements, the Indians of 
the vicinity were stimulated to take a wider 
range in their hunting expeditions ; they were 
generally accompanied on these expeditions by 
some of the traders or their dependents, who 
shared in the toils and perils of the chase, and at 
the same time made themselves acquainted with 
the best hunting and trapping grounds, and with 
the remote tribes, whom they encouraged to 
bring their peltries to the settlements. In this 
way the trade augmented, and was drawn from 
remote quarters to Montreal. Every now and 
then a large body of Ottawas, Hurons, and other 



INDIAN FAIR. 3 

tribes who hunted the countries bordering on the 
great lakes, would come down in a squadron of 
light canoes, laden with beaver skins, and other 
sj^oils of their year's hunting. The canoes 
would be unladen, taken on shore, and their con- 
tents disposed m order. A camp of birch bark 
would be pitched outside of the town, and a kind 
of primitive fair opened with that grave ceremo- 
nial so dear to the Indians. An audience would 
be demanded of the governor-general, who would 
hold the conference with becoming state, seated 
in an elbow-chair, with the Indians ranged in 
semicircles before him, seated on the ground, 
and silently smoking their pipes. Speeches would 
be made, presents exchanged, and the audience 
would break up in universal good humor. 

Now would ensue a brisk traffic with the mer- 
chants, and all Montreal would be alive with 
naked Indians running from shop to shop, bar- 
gaining for arms, kettles, knives, axes, blankets, 
bright-colored cloths, and other articles of use or 
fancy ; upon all which, says an old French writer, 
the merchants were sure to clear at least two 
hundred per cent. There was no money used in 
this traffic, and, after a time, all payment in 
spirituous liquors was prohibited, in consequence 
of the frantic and frightful excesses and bloody 
brawls which they were apt to occasion. 

Their wants and caprices being supplied, they 
would take leave of the governor, strike their 
tents, launch their canoes, and ply their way up 
the Ottawa to the lakes. 

A new and anomalous class of men gradually 



4 ASTORIA. 

grew out of this trade. These were called coy/r- 
eurs des hois, rangers of the woods ; originally 
men who had accompanied the Indians in their 
hunting expeditions, and made themselves ac- 
quamted with remote tracts and tribes ; and who 
now became, as it were, peddlers of the wilderness. 
These men would set out from Montreal with 
canoes well stocked with goods, with arms and 
ammunition, and would make their way up the 
mazy and wandering rivers that interlace the 
vast forests of the Canadas, coasting the most 
remote lakes, and creating new wants and habi- 
tudes among the natives. Sometimes they so- 
journed for months among them, assimilating to 
their tastes and habits with the happy facility of 
Frenchmen adopting in some degree the Indian 
dress, and not unfrequently taking to themselves 
Indian wives. 

Twelve, fifteen, eighteen months would often 
elapse without any tidings of them, when they 
would come sweeping their way down the Ottawa 
in full glee, their canoes laden down with packs 
of beaver skins. Now came their turn for rev- 
elry and extravagance. " You would be amazed," 
says an old writer already quoted, " if you saw 
how lewd these peddlers are when they return ; 
how they feast and game, and how prodigal they 
are, not only in their clothes, but upon their 
sweethearts. Such of them as are married have 
the wisdom to retire to their own houses ; but 
the bachelors act just as an East Indiaman and 
pirates are wont to do ; for they lavish, eat, drink, 
and play all away as long as the goods hold out ; 



COUREURS DBS BO IS. 5 

and when these are gone, they even sell their 
embroidery, their lace, and their clothes. This 
done, they are forced upon a new voyage for 
subsistence." ^ 

Many of these coureurs des hois became so 
accustomed to the Indian mode of living, and the 
perfect freedom of the wilderness, that they lost 
all relish for civilization, and identified themselves 
with the savages among whom they dwelt, or 
could only be distinguished from them by superior 
licentiousness. Their conduct and example grad- 
ually corrupted the natives, and impeded the 
works of the Catholic missionaries, who were at 
this time prosecutmg their pious labors m the 
wilds of Canada. 

To check these abuses, and to protect the fur 
trade from various irregularities practised by 
these loose adventurers, an order was issued by 
the French government prohibiting all persons, 
on pain of death, from trading into the mterior 
of the country without a license. 

These licenses were granted in writing by the 
governor-general, and at first were given only to 
persons of respectability ; to gentlemen of broken 
fortunes ; to old officers of the army who had 
families to provide for ; or to their widows. 
Each license permitted the fitting out of two 
large canoes with merchandise for the lakes, and 
no more than twenty-five licenses were to be 
issued in one year. By degrees, however, private 
lioenses were also granted, and the number rap- 
idly increased. Those who did not choose to fit 
1 La Hontan, v. i. let. 4. 



6 ASTORIA. 

out the expeditions themselves, were permitted to 
sell them to the merchants ; these employed the 
coureurs des hois, or rangers of the woods, to un- 
dertake the long voyages on shares, and thus the 
abuses of the old system were revived and con- 
tinued.^ 

The pious missionaries, employed by the 
Roman Catholic Church to convert the Indians, 
did everything in their power to counteract 
the profligacy caused and propagated by these 
men in the heart of the wilderness. The 
Catholic chapel might often be seen planted 
beside the trading house, and its spire sur- 
mounted by a cross, towering from the midst of 
an Indian village, on the banks of a river or a 
lake. The missions had often a beneficial effect 

1 The following are the terms on Avhich these expeditions 
were commonly undertaken. The merchant holding the 
license would fit out the two canoes with a thousand crowns 
worth of goods, and put them under the conduct of six cour- 
eurs des bois, to whom the goods were charged at the rate of 
fifteen per cent, above the ready money price in the colony. 
The coureurs des bois, in their turn, dealt so sharply with 
the savages, that they generally returned, at the end of a 
year or so, with four canoes well laden, so as to insure a clear 
profit of seven hundred per cent., insomuch that the thousand 
crowns invested, produced eight thousand. Of this extrava- 
gant profit the merchant had the lion's share. In the first 
place he would set aside six hundred crowns for the cost of 
his license, then a thousand crowns for the cost of the original 
merchandise. This would leave six thousand four hundred 
crowns, from which he would take forty per cent., for bot- 
tomry, amounting to two thousand five hundred and sixty 
crowns. The residue would be equally divided among the 
six wood rangers, who would thus receive little more than 
six hundred crowns for all their toils and perils. 



LICENSED TRADERS. 7 

on the simple sons of the forest, but had little 
power over the renegades from civilization. 

At length it was found necessary to establish 
fortified posts at the confluence of the rivers and 
the lakes for the protection of the trade, and the 
restraint of these profligates of the wilderness. 
The most important of these was at IVIichilimack- 
inac, situated at the strait of the same name, 
which connects Lakes Huron and Michigan. It 
became the great interior mart and place of 
deposit, and some of the regular merchants who 
prosecuted the trade in person, under their 
licenses, formed establishments here. This, too, 
was a rendezvous for the rangers of the woods, 
as well those who came up with goods from 
Montreal as those who returned with peltries 
from the interior. Here new expeditions were 
fitted out and took their departure for Lake 
INIichigan and the Mississippi; Lake Superior 
and the Northwest; and here the peltries brought 
in return were embarked for Montreal. 

The French merchant at his trading post, in 
these primitive days of Canada, was a kind of 
commercial patriarch. With the lax habits and 
easy familiarity of his race, he had a little world 
of self-indulgence and misrule around him. He 
had his clerks, canoe men, and retainers of all 
kinds, who lived with him on terms of perfect 
sociability, always calling him by his Christian 
name ; he had liis harem of Indian beauties, and 
his troop of half-breed children ; nor was there 
ever wanting a louting train of Indians, hanging 
about the establishment, eating and drinking at 



8 ASTORIA. 

his expense in the intervals of their hunting ex- 
peditions. 

The Canadian traders, for a long time, had 
troublesome competitors in the British merchants 
of New York, who inveigled the Indian hunters 
and the coureurs des hois to their posts, and 
traded with them on more favorable terms. A 
still more formidable opposition was organized in 
the Hudson Bay Company, chartered by Charles 
IL, in 1670, with the exclusive privilege of 
establishing trading houses on the shores of that 
bay and its tributary rivers ; a privilege which 
they have maintained to the present day. 
Between this British company and the French 
merchants of Canada, feuds and contests arose 
about alleged infringements of territorial limits, 
and acts of violence and bloodshed occurred 
between their agents. 

In 1762, the French lost possession of Canada, 
and the trade fell principally into the hands of 
British subjects. For a time, however, it shrunk 
within narrow limits. The old coureurs des hois 
were broken up and dispersed, or, where they 
could be met with, were slow to accustom them- 
selves to the habits and manners of their British 
employers. They missed the freedom, indul- 
gence, and familiarity of the old French trading 
houses, and did not relish the sober exactness, 
reserve, and method of the new-comers. The 
British traders, too, were ignorant of the country, 
and distrustful of the natives. They had reason 
to be so. The treacherous and bloody affairs of 
Detroit and Michilimackinac showed them the 



BRITISH FUR TRADERS. 9 

lurking hostility cherished by the savages, who 
had too long been taught by the French to 
regard them as enemies. 

It was not until the year 1766, that the trade 
regained its old channels ; but it was then 
pursued with much avidity and emulation by 
individual merchants, and soon transcended its 
former bounds. Expeditions were fitted out by 
various persons from Montreal and ]VIichilimack- 
inac, and rivalships and jealousies of course 
ensued. The trade was injured by their artifices 
to outbid and undermine each other ; the Indians 
were debauched by the sale of spirituous liquors, 
which had been prohibited under the French 
rule. Scenes of drunkenness, brutality, and 
brawl were the consequence, in the Indian 
villages and around the traduig houses ; while 
bloody feuds took place between rival trading 
parties when they happened to encounter each 
other in the lawless dej^ths of the wilderness. 

To put an end to these sordid and ruinous 
contentions, several of the principal merchants of 
Montreal entered into a partnership m the whiter 
of 1783, which was augmented by amalgamation 
with a rival company in 1787. Thus was 
created the famous " Northwest Company," 
which for a time held a lordly sway over the 
wintry lakes and boundless forests of the 
Canadas, almost equal to that of the East India 
Company over the voluptuous climes and magnifi- 
cent realms of the Orient. 

The company consisted of twenty-three share- 
holders, or partners, but held in its employ about 



10 ASTORIA. 

two thousand persons as clerks, guides, interpre- 
ters, and " voyageurs," or boatmen. These were 
distributed at various trading posts, established 
far and wide on the interior lakes and rivers, at 
immense distances from each other, and in the 
heart of trackless countries and savage tribes. 

Several of the partners resided in Montreal 
and Quebec, to manage the main concerns of the 
company. These were called agents, and were 
personages of great weight and importance ; the 
other partners took their stations at the interior 
posts, where they remained throughout the 
winter, to superintend the intercourse with the 
various tribes of Indians. They were thence 
called wintermg partners. 

The goods destined for this wide and wander- 
ing traffic were put up at the warehouses of the 
company in Montreal, and conveyed in batteaux, 
or boats and canoes, up the river Attawa, or 
Ottowa, which falls into the St. Lawrence near 
Montreal, and by other rivers and portages, to 
Lake Nipising, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, and 
thence, by several chains of great and small lakes, 
to Lake Winnipeg, Lake Athabasca, and the 
Great Slave Lake. This singular and beautiful 
system of internal seas, which renders an im- 
mense region of wilderness so accessible to the 
frail bark of the Lidian or the trader, was 
studded by the remote posts of the company, 
where they carried on their traffic with the sur- 
rounding tribes. 

The company, as we have shown, was at first 
a spontaneous association of merchants ; but, 



BRITISH NORTHWEST COMPANY. 11 

after it had been regularly organized, admission 
into it became extremely difficult. A candidate 
had to enter, as it were, "before the mast," to 
undergo a long probation, and to rise slowly by 
his merits and services. He began, at an early 
age, as a clerk, and served an apprenticeship of 
seven years, for which he received one hundi-ed 
pounds sterling, was maintained at the expense 
of the company, and furnished with suitable 
clothing and equipments. His probation was 
generally passed at the interior trading posts ; 
removed for years from civilized society, leading 
a life almost as wild and precarious as the sav- 
ages around him ; exposed to the severities of a 
northern winter, often suffering from a scarcity 
of food, and sometimes destitute for a long time 
of both bread and salt. "When his apprenticeship 
had expired, he received a salarj' according to 
his deserts, varying from eighty to one hundred 
and sixty poimds sterlmg, and was now eligible 
to the great object of his ambition, a partnership 
in the company ; though years might yet elapse 
before he attained to that enviable station. 

Most of the clerks were young men of good 
families, from the Highlands of Scotland, charac- 
terized by the perseverance, thrift, and fidelity of 
their country, and fitted by their native hardi- 
hood to encounter the rigorous climate of the 
North, and to endure the trials and privations of 
their lot ; though it must not be concealed that 
the constitutions of many of them became im- 
paired by the hardships of the wilderness, and 
their stomachs injured by occasional famishing, 



12 ASTORIA. 

and especially by the want of bread and salt. 
Now and then, at an interval of years, they were 
permitted to come down on a visit to the estab- 
lishment at Montreal, to recruit their health, and 
to have a taste of civilized life ; and these were 
brilliant spots in their existence. 

As to the principal partners, or agents, who 
resided in Montreal and Quebec, they formed a 
kind of commercial aristocracy, living in lordly 
and hospitable style. Their early associations 
when clerks at the remote trading posts, and the 
pleasures, dangers, adventures, and mishaps which 
they had shared together in their wild wood life, 
had linked them heartily to each other, so that 
they formed a convivial fraternity. Few trav- 
ellers that have visited Canada some thirty years 
since, in the days of the M'Tavishes, the M'Gil- 
livrays, the M'Kenzies, the Frobishers, and the 
other magnates of the Northwest, when the com- 
pany was in all its glory, but must remember the 
round of feasting and revelry kept up among 
these hyperborean nabobs. 

Sometimes one or two partners, recently from 
the interior posts, would make their appearance 
m New York, in the course of a tour of pleasure 
and curiosity. On these occasions there was 
always a degree of magnificence of the purse 
about them, and a peculiar propensity to expend- 
iture at the goldsmith's and jeweler's for rings, 
chains, brooches, necklaces, jeweled watches, and 
other rich trinkets, partly for their own wear, 
partly for presents to their female acquaintances ; 
a gorgeous prodigality, such as was often to be 



FEUDAL STATE IN THE FOREST. 13 

noticed in former times in Southern j)lanters and 
West India Creoles, when flush with the profits 
of their plantations. 

To behold the Northwest Company in all its 
state and grandeur, however, it was necessary to 
witness an annual gathering at the great interior 
place of conference established at Fort William, 
near what is called the Grand Portage, on Lake 
Superior. Here two or three of the leading 
partners from Montreal proceeded once a year to 
meet the partners from the various trading posts 
of the wilderness, to discuss the affairs of the 
company during the preceding year, and to ar- 
range plans for the future. 

On these occasions might be seen the change 
since the unceremonious times of the old French 
traders ; now the aristocratical character of the 
Briton shone forth magnificently, or rather the 
feudal spirit of the Highlander. Every partner 
who had charge of an interior post, and a score 
of retainers at his command, felt like the chief- 
tain of a Highland clan, and was almost as im- 
portant in the eyes of his dependents as of him- 
self. To him a visit to the grand conference at 
Fort William was a most important event, and 
he repaired there as to a meeting of parhament. 

The partners from Montreal, however, were 
the lords of the ascendant ; coming from the 
midst of luxurious and ostentatious life, they quite 
eclipsed their compeers from the woods, whose 
forms and faces had been battered and hardened 
by hard living and hard service, and whose gar- 
ments and equipments were all the worse for 



14 ASTORIA. 

wear. Indeed, the partners from below consid- 
ered the whole dignity of the company as repre- 
sented in their persons, and conducted themselves 
in suitable style. They ascended the rivers in 
great state, like sovereigns making a progress : 
or rather like Highland chieftains navigating 
their subject lakes. They were wrapped in rich 
furs, their huge canoes freighted with every con- 
venience and luxury, and manned by Canadian 
voyageurs, as obedient as Highland clansmen. 
They carried up with them cooks and bakers, 
together with delicacies of every kind, and abun- 
dance of choice wines for the banquets which at- 
tended tliis great convocation. Happy were they, 
too, if they could meet with some distinguished 
stranger ; above all, some titled member of the 
British nobility, to accompany them on this stately 
occasion, and grace their high solemnities. 

Fort William, the scene of this important 
annual meeting, was a considerable village on the 
banks of Lake Superior. Here, in an immense 
wooden building, was the great council hall, as 
also the banqueting chamber, decorated with In- 
dian arms and accoutrements, and the trophies of 
the fiir trade. The house swarmed at this time 
with traders and voyageurs, some from Montreal, 
bound to the interior posts ; some from the inte- 
rior posts, bound to Montreal. The councils 
were held in great state, for every member felt 
as if sitting in parliament, and every retainer 
and dependent looked up to the assemblage with 
awe, as to the House of Lords. There was a 
vast deal of solemn deliberation, and hard Scot- 



THE GLORIES OF FORT WILLIAM. 15 

tish reasoning, with an occasional swell of pomp- 
ous declamation. 

These grave and weighty councils were alter- 
nated by huge feasts and revels, like some of the 
old feasts described in Highland castles. The 
tables in the great banqueting room groaned 
under the weight of game of all kinds ; of veni- 
son from the woods, and fish from the lakes, with 
hunters' dehcacies, such as buffaloes' tongues, and 
beavers' tails, and various luxuries from Mon- 
treal, all served up by experienced cooks brought 
for the purpose. There was no stint of gener- 
ous wme, for it was a hard-drmking period, a 
time of loyal toasts, and bacchanalian songs, and 
brimming bumpers. 

Wliile the chiefs thus revelled in hall, and 
made the rafters resound with bursts of loyalty 
and old Scottish songs, chanted in voices cracked 
and sharpened by the northern blast, their mer- 
riment was echoed and prolonged by a mongrel 
legion of retainers, Canadian voyageurs, half- 
br'eeds, Indian hunters, and vagabond hangers-on, 
who feasted sumptuously without on the crumbs 
that fell from their table, and made the welkin rmg 
with old French ditties, mmgled with Indian 
yelps and yellings. 

Such was the Northwest Company in its pow- 
erful and prosperous days, when it held a kind 
of feudal sway over a vast domam of lake and 
forest. We are dwelling too long, perhaps, upon 
these individual pictures, endeared to us by the 
associations of early life, when, as yet a stripling 
youth, we have sat at the hospitable boards of 



16 ASTORIA. 

the " mighty Northwesters," the lords of the as- 
cendant at Montreal, and gazed with wondering 
and inexperienced eye at the baronial wassailing, 
and listened with astonished ear to their tales of 
hardships and adventures. It is one object of 
our task, however, to present scenes of the rough 
life of the wilderness, and we are tempted to fix 
these few memorials of a transient state of things 
fast passing into oblivion ; — for the feudal state 
of Fort William is at an end ; its council cham- 
ber is silent and deserted; its banquet hall no 
longer echoes to the burst of loyalty, or the 
" auld world " ditty ; the lords of the lakes and 
forests have passed away; and the hospitable 
magnates of Montreal — where are they ? 



■^r 




CHAPTER 11. 

HE success of the Northwest Company 
stimulated further enterprise in this 
opening and apparently boundless field 
of profit. The traffic of that company lay prin- 
cipally in the high northern latitudes, while there 
were immense regions to the south and west, 
known to abound with valuable peltries ; but 
which, as yet, had been but little explored by 
the fur trader. A new association of British 
merchants was therefore formed, to prosecute the 
trade in this direction. The chief factory was 
established at the old emporium of Michilimack- 
inac, from which place the association took its 
name, and was commonly called the Mackinaw 
Company. 

While the Northwesters continued to push 
their enterprises into the hyperborean regions 
from their stronghold at Fort William, and to 
hold almost sovereign sway over the tribes of the 
upper lakes and rivers, the Mackinaw Company 
sent forth their light perogues, and barks, by 
Green Bay, Fox River, and the Wisconsin, to 
that great artery of the West, the Mississippi; 
and down that stream to all its tributary rivers. 
In this way they hoped soon to monopolize the 
trade with all the tribes on the southern and west- 
2 



18 ASTORIA. 

eru waters, and of those vast tracts comprised 
in ancient Louisiana. 

The government of the United States began to 
view with a wary eye the growing influence thus 
acquired by combinations of foreigners, over the 
aboriginal tribes inhabiting its territories, and en- 
deavored to counteract it. For this purpose, as 
early as 1796, the government sent out agents to 
establish rival trading houses on the frontier, so 
as to supply the wants of the Indians, to link 
their interests and feelings with those of the peo- 
ple of the United States, and to divert this im- 
portant branch of trade into national channels. 

The expedient, however, was unsuccessful, as 
most commercial expedients are prone to be, 
where the dull patronage of government is count- 
ed upon to outvie the keen activity of private 
enterprise. What government failed to effect, 
however, with all its patronage and all its agents, 
was at length brought about by the enterprise 
and perseverance of a single merchant, one of its 
adopted citizens ; and this brings us to speak of the 
individual whose enterprise is the especial subject 
of the following pages ; a man whose name and 
character are worthy of being enrolled in the his- 
tory of commerce, as illustrating its noblest aims 
and soundest maxims. A few brief anecdotes of 
his early life, and of the circumstances which first 
determined him to the branch of commerce of 
which we are treating, cannot be but interesting. 

John Jacob As tor, the individual in question, 
was born in the honest little German village of 
Waldorf, near Heidelberg, on the banks of the 



JOHN JACOB AST OR. 19 

Rhine. He was brought up in the simplicity of 
rural life, but, while jet a mere stripling, left his 
home, and launched himself amid the busy scenes 
of London, having had, from his very boyhood, a 
singular presentiment that he would ultimately 
arrive at great fortune. 

At the close of the American Revolution he 
was still in London, and scarce on the threshold 
of active life. An elder brother had been for 
some few years resident in the United States, and 
Mr. Astor determined to follow him, and to seek 
his fortunes in the rising country. Investing a 
small sum which he had amassed since leaving 
his native village, in merchandise suited to the 
American market, he embarked, in the month 
of November, 1783, in a ship bound to Baltimore, 
and arrived in Hampton Roads in the month of 
January. The winter was extremely severe, 
and the ship, with many others, was detained by 
the ice in and about Chesapeake Bay for nearly 
three months. 

During this period, the passengers of the va- 
rious ships used occasionally to go on shore, and 
mingle sociably together. In this way Mr. Astor 
became acquainted with a countryman of his, a 
furrier by trade. Having had a previous im- 
pression that this might be a lucrative trade in 
the New World, he made many inquiries of his 
new acquaintance on the subject, who cheerfully 
gave him all the information in his power as to 
the quality and value of different furs, and the 
mode of carrying on the traffic. He subsequently 
accompanied him to New York, and, by his ad- 



20 ASTORIA. 

vice, Mr. Astor was induced to invest the pro- 
ceeds of his merchandise in furs. With these 
he sailed from New York to London in 1784, 
disposed of them advantageously, made himself 
further acquainted with the course of the trade, 
and returned the same year to Nev/ York, with 
a view to settle in the United States. 

He now devoted himself to the branch of 
commerce with which he had thus casually been 
made acquainted. He began his career, of 
course, on the narrowest scale ; but he brought 
to the task a persevering industry, rigid economy, 
and strict integrity. To these were added an 
aspiring spirit that always looked upwards; a 
genius bold, fertile, and expansive ; a sagacity 
quick to grasp and convert every circumstance 
to its advantage, and a singular and never wa- 
vering confidence of signal success.^ 

As yet, trade in peltries was not organized in 
the United States, and could not be said to form 
a regular line of business. Furs and skins were 
casually collected by the country traders in their 
dealings with the Indians or the white hunters, 
but the main supply was derived from Canada. 
As Mr. Astor's means increased, he made an- 

1 An instance of this buoyant confidence, which no doubt 
aided to produce the success it anticipated, we have from the 
lips of Mr. A. himself. "While yet almost a stranger in the 
city, and in very narrow circumstances, he passed by where 
a row of houses had just been erected in Broadway, and 
which, from the superior style of their architecture, were the 
talk and boast of the city. " I '11 build, one day or other, a 
greater house than any of these, in this very street," said he 
to himself. He has accomplished his prediction. 



DEALINGS IN CANADA. 21 

imal visits to Montreal, where he purchased furs 
from the houses at that place engaged in the 
trade. These he shipped from Canada to Lon- 
don, no direct trade being allowed from that col- 
ony to any but the mother country. 

In 1794 or '95, a treaty with Great Britain 
removed the restrictions imposed upon the trade 
with the colonies, and opened a direct commer- 
cial intercourse between Canada and the United 
States. Mr. Astor was in London at the time, 
and immediately made a contract with the agents 
of the Northwest Company for furs. He was 
now enabled to import them from Montreal into 
the United States for the home supply, and to be 
shipped thence to diflferent parts of Europe, as 
well as to China, which has ever been the best 
market for the richest and finest kinds of pel- 
try. 

The treaty in question provided, likewise, that 
the military posts occupied by the British within 
the territorial limits of the United States, 
should be surrendered. Accordingly, Oswego, 
Niagara, Detroit, Michilimackinac, and other 
posts on the American side of the lakes, were 
given up. An opening was thus made for the 
American merchant to trade on the confines of 
Canada, and within the territories of the United 
States. After an interval of some years, about 
1807, Mr. Astor embarked in this trade on his 
own account. His capital and resources had by 
this time greatly augmented, and he had risen 
from small beginnings to take his place among 
the first merchants and financiers of the country. 



22 ASTORIA. 

His genius had ever been in advance of his cir- 
cumstances, prompting him to new and wide 
fields of enterprise beyond the scope of or- 
dinary merchants. With all his enterprise and 
resources, however, he soon found the power and 
influence of the Michilimackinac (or Mackinaw) 
Company too great for him, having engrossed 
most of the trade within the American bor- 
ders. 

A plan had to be devised to enable him to 
enter into successful competition. He was aware 
of the wish of the American government, already 
stated, that the fur trade within its boundaries 
should be in the hands of American citizens, and 
of the ineffectual measures it had taken to ac- 
complish that object. He now offered, if aided 
and protected by government, to turn the whole 
of that trade into American channels. He was 
invited to unfold his plans to government, and 
they were warmly approved, though the execu- 
tive could give no direct aid. 

Thus countenanced, however, he obtained, in 
1809, a charter from the legislature of the State 
of New York, incorporating a company under the 
name of "The American Fur Company," with 
a capital of one million of dollars, with the privi- 
lege of increasing it to two millions. The capi- 
tal was furnished by himself — he, in fact, con- 
stituted the company ; for, though he had a board 
of directors, they were merely nominal; the 
whole business was conducted on his plans and 
with his resources, but he preferred to do so 
under the imposing and formidable aspect of a 



SOUTHWEST COMPANY. 23 

corporation, rather than in his individual name, 
and his policy was sagacious and effective. 

As the Mackinaw Company still continued its 
rivalry, and as the fur trade would not advanta- 
geously admit of competition, he made a new ar- 
rangement in 1811, by which, in conjunction 
with certain partners of the Northwest Company, 
and other persons engaged in the fur trade, he 
bought out the Mackinaw Company, and merged 
that and the American Fur Company into a new 
association, to be called the " Southwest Com- 
pany." This he likewise did with the privity and 
approbation of the American government. 

By this arrangement Mr. Astor became pro- 
prietor of one half of the Indian establishments 
and goods which the Mackinaw Company had 
within the territory of the Indian country in 
the United States, and it was understood that 
the whole was to be surrendered into his hands 
at the expiration of five years, on condition that 
the American Company would not trade within 
the British dominions. 

Unluckily, the war which broke out in 1812 
between Great Britain and the United States 
suspended the association ; and, after the war, it 
was entirely dissolved ; Congress having passed a 
law prohibiting British fur traders from prosecu- 
ting their enterprises within the territories of the 
United States. 




CHAPTER III. 

JHILE the various companies we have 
noticed were pushing their enterprises 
far and wide in the wilds of Canada, 
and along the course of the great western waters, 
other adventurers, intent on the same objects, 
were traversing the watery wastes of the Pacific 
and skirting the northwest coast of America. 
The last voyage of that renowned but unfortu- 
nate discoverer, Captain Cook, had made known 
the vast quantities of the sea-otter to be found 
along that coast, and the immense prices to be 
obtained for its fur in China. It was as if 
a new gold coast had been discovered. Individ- 
uals from various countries dashed into this lu- 
crative traffic, so that in the year 1792, there 
were twenty-one vessels under different flags, 
plying along the coast and trading with the 
natives. The greater part of them were Ameri- 
can, and owned by Boston merchants. They 
generally remained on the coast and about the 
adjacent seas, for two years, carrying on as wan- 
dering and adventurous a commerce on the water 
as did the traders and trappers on land. Their 
trade extended along the whole coast from Cali- 
fornia to the high northern latitudes. They 
would run in near shore, anchor, and wait for 



RUSSIAN ENTERPRISES. 25 

the natives to come off in their canoes with pel- 
tries. The trade exhausted at one place, they 
would up anchor and off to another. In this 
way they would consume the summer, and when 
autumn came on, would run down to the Sandwich 
Islands and winter in some friendly and plentiful 
harbor. In the following year they would re- 
sume their summer trade, commencing at Cali- 
fornia and proceeding north : and, having in the 
course of the two seasons collected a sufficient 
cargo of peltries, would make the best of their way 
to China. Here they would sell their furs, take 
in teas, nankeens, and other merchandise, and 
return to Boston, after an absence of two or three 
years. 

The people, however, who entered most exten- 
sively and effectively in the fur trade of the 
Pacific, were the Russians. Instead of making 
casual voyages, in transient ships, they estab- 
lished regular trading houses in the high latitudes, 
along the northwest coast of America, and upon 
the chain of the Aleutian Islands between Kamt- 
schatka and the promontory of Alaska. 

To promote and protect these enterprises, a 
company was incorporated by the Russian gov- 
ernment with exclusive privileges, and a capital 
of two hundred and sixty thousand pounds ster- 
ling; and the sovereignty of that part of the 
American continent, along the coast of which the 
posts had been established, was claimed by the 
Russian crown, on the plea that the land had 
been discovered and occupied by its subjects. 

As China was the grand mart for the furs col- 



26 ASTORIA. 

lected in these quarters, the Russians had the 
advantage over their competitors in the trade. 
The latter had to take their peltries to Canton, 
which, however, was a mere receiving mart, from 
whence they had to be distributed over the in- 
terior of the empire and sent to the northern 
parts, where there was the chief consumption. 
The Russians, on the contrary, carried their furs, 
by a shorter voyage, directly to the northern 
parts of the Chinese empire ; thus being able to 
afford them in the market without the additional 
cost of internal transportation. 

We come now to the immediate field of opera- 
tion of the great enterprise we have undertaken 
to illustrate. 

Among the American ships which traded along 
the northwest coast in 1792, was the Columbia, 
Captain Gray, of Boston. In the course of her 
voyage she discovered the mouth of a large river 
in lat. 46° 19' north. Entering it with some 
difficulty, on account of sand-bars and breakers, 
she came to anchor in a spacious bay. A boat 
was well manned, and sent on shore to a vilhige 
on the beach, but all the inhabitants fled except- 
insr the aged and infirm. The kind manner in 
which these were treated, and the presents given 
to them, gradually lured back the others, and a 
friendly intercourse took place. They had never 
seen a ship or a white man. When they had 
first descried the Columbia, they had supposed it 
a floating island ; then some monster of the deep ; 
but when they saw the boat putting for shore 
with human beings on board, they considered 



DISCOVERY OF THE COLUMBIA. 27 

them cannibals sent by the Great Spirit to rav- 
age the country and devour the inhabitants. 
Captain Gray did not ascend the river farther 
than the bay in question, which continues to bear 
his name. After putting to sea, he fell in with 
the celebrated discoverer, Vancouver, and in- 
formed him of his discovery, furnishing him with 
a chart which he had made of the river. Van- 
couver visited the river, and his lieutenant, 
Broughton, explored it by the aid of Captain 
Gray's chart ; ascending it upwards of one hun- 
dred miles, until within view of a snowy moun- 
tain, to which he gave the name of JNIount Hood, 
which it still retains. 

The existence of this river, however, was 
known long before the visits of Gray and Vancou- 
ver, but the information concerning it was vague 
and indefinite, being gathered from the reports 
of Indians. It was spoken of by travellers as 
the Oregon, and as the Great River of the West. 
A Spanish ship is said to have been wrecked at 
the mouth, several of the crew of which lived 
for some time among the natives. The Colum- 
bia, however, is believed to be the first ship that 
made a regular discovery and anchored within its 
waters, .and it has since generally borne the name 
of that vessel. 

As early as 1763, shortly after the acquisition 
of the Canadas by Great Britain, Captain Jona- 
than Carver, who had been in the British provin- 
cial army, projected a journey across the conti- 
nent between the forty-third and forty-sixth 
degrees of northern latitude to the shores of the 



28 ' ASTORIA. 

Pacific Ocean. His objects were to ascertain 
the breadth of the continent at its broadest part, 
and to determine on some place on the shores of 
the Pacific, where government might establish a 
post to facilitate the discovery of a northwest 
passage, or a communication between Hudson's 
Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This place he pre- 
sumed would be somewhere about the Straits of 
Annian, at which point he supposed the Oregon 
disembogued itself. It was his opinion, also, 
that a settlement on this extremity of America 
would disclose new sources of trade, promote 
many useful discoveries,* and open a more direct 
communication with China and the English set- 
tlements in the East Indies, than that by the 
Cape of Good Hope or the Straits of Magellan.^ 
This enterprising and intrepid traveller waS twice 
bafiled in individual efforts to accomplish this 
great journey. In 1774, he was joined in the 
scheme by Richard Whitworth, a member of 
Parliament, and a man of wealth. Their enter- 
prise was projected on a broad and bold plan. 
They were to take with them fifty or sixty men, 
artificers and mariners. With these they were 
to make their way up one of the branches of 
the Missouri, explore the mountains for the 
source of the Oregon, or River of the West, and 
sail down that river to its supposed exit, near the 
Straits of Annian. Here they were to erect a 
fort, and build the vessels necessary to carry 
their discoveries by sea into effect. Their plan 
had the sanction of the British government, and 
1 Carver's Travels, Introd. b. iii. Philad. 1796. 



MACKENZIE'S DISCOVERIES. 29 

grants and other requisites were nearly com- 
pleted, when the breaking out of the American 
Revolution once more defeated the undertak- 
ing.^ 

The expedition of Sir Alexander Mackenzie in 
1793, across the continent to the Pacific Ocean, 
which he reached in lat. 52° 20' 48", again sug- 
gested the possibility of linking together the 
trade of both sides of the continent. In lat. 52° 
30' he had descended a river for some distance 
which flowed towards the south, and was called 
by the natives Tacoutche Tesse, and which he 
erroneously supposed to be the Columbia. It 
was afterwards ascertained that it emptied itself 
in lat. 49°, whereas the mouth of the Columbia 
is about three degrees further south. 

AVhen Mackenzie some years subsequently 
published an account of his expeditions, he sug- 
gested the policy of opening an intercourse be- 
tween the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and form- 
ing regular establishments through the interior 
and at both extremes, as well as along the coasts 
and islands. By this means, he observed, the 
entire command of the fur trade of North Amer- 
ica might be obtained from lat. 48° north, to the 
pole, excepting that portion held by the Russians, 
for as to the American adventurers who had 
hitherto enjoyed the traffic along the northwest 
coast, they would instantly disappear, he added, 
before a well regulated trade. 

A scheme of this kind, however, was too vast 
and hazardous for individual enterprise ; it could 
1 Carver's Travels, p. 360. Philad. 1796. 



30 ASTORIA. 

only be undertaken by a company under the 
sanction and protection of a government ; and as 
there might be a clashing of claims between the 
Hudson's Bay and Northwest Company, the one 
holding by right of charter, the other by right 
of possession, he proposed that the two companies 
should coalesce in this great undertaking. The 
long-cherished jealousies of these two companies, 
however, were too deep and strong to allow them 
to listen to such counsel. 

In the meantime the attention of the American 
government was attracted to the subject, and the 
memorable expedition under Messrs. Lewis and 
Clarke, fitted out. These gentlemen, in 1804, 
accomplished the enterprise which had been pro- 
jected by Carver and Whitworth, in 1774. They 
ascended the Missouri, passed through the stu- 
pendous gates of the Rocky Mountains, hitherto 
unknown to white men ; discovered and explored 
the upper waters of the Columbia, and followed 
that river down to its mouth, where their country- 
man, Gray, had anchored about twelve years pre- 
viously. Here they passed the winter, and 
returned across the mountains in the following 
spring. The reports published by them of their 
expedition, demonstrated the practicability of es- 
tablishing a line of communication across the 
continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 

It was then that the idea presented itself to 
the mind of Mr. Astor, of grasping with his 
individual hand this great enterprise, which for 
years had been dubiously yet desirously contem- 
plated by powerful associations and maternal 



MR. AST OR' S PROJECT. 31 

governments. For some time he revolved the 
idea in his mind, gradually extending and matur- 
ing his plans as his means of executing them 
augmented. The main feature of his scheme 
was to establish a line of trading posts along the 
Missouri and the Columbia, to the mouth of the 
latter, where was to be founded the chief trading 
house or mart. Inferior posts would be estab- 
lished in the interior, and on all the tributary 
streams of the Columbia, to trade with the 
Indians ; these posts would draw their supplies 
from the main establishment, and bring to it the 
peltries they collected. Coasting craft would be 
built and fitted out, also, at the mouth of the 
Columbia, to trade, at favorable seasons, all along 
the northwest coast, and return, with the proceeds 
of their voyages, to this place of deposit. Thus 
all the Indian trade, both of the interior and the 
coast, would converge to this point, and thence 
derive its sustenance. 

A ship was to be sent annually from New 
York to this main establishment with reinforce- 
ments and supplies, and with merchandise suited 
to the trade. It would take on board the furs 
collected during the preceding year, carry them 
to Canton, invest the proceeds in the rich mer- 
chandise of China, and return thus freighted to 
New York. 

As, in extending the American trade along 
the coast to the northward, it might be brought 
into the vicinity of the Russian Fur Company, 
and produce a hostile rivalry, it was part of the 
plan of Mr. Astor to conciliate the good- will of 



32 ASTORIA. 

that company by the most amicable and beneficial 
arrangements. The Russian establishment was 
chiefly dependent for its supplies upon transient 
trading vessels from the United States. These 
vessels, however, were often of more harm than 
advantage. Being owned by private adventurers, 
or casual voyagers, who cared only for present 
profit, and had no interest in the permanent pros- 
perity of the trade, they were reckless in their 
dealings with the natives, and made no scruple 
of supplying them with fire-arms. In this way 
several fierce tribes in the vicinity of the Russian 
posts, or within the range of their trading excur- 
sions, were furnished with deadly means of war- 
fare, and rendered troublesome and dangerous 
neighbors. 

The Russian government had made representa- 
tions to that of the United States of these mal- 
practices on the part of its citizens, and urged to 
have this traffic in arms prohibited ; but, as it did 
not infringe any municipal law, our government 
could not interfere. Yet still it regarded, with 
solicitude, a traffic which, if persisted in, might 
give offense to Russia, at that time almost the 
only friendly power to us. In this dilemma the 
government had applied to Mr. Astor, as one con- 
versant in this branch of trade, for information 
that might point out a way to remedy the evil. 
This circumstance had suggested to him the idea 
of supplying the Russian establishment regularly 
by means of the annual ship that should visit the 
settlement at the mouth of the Columbia (or 
Oregon) ; by this means the casual trading ves- 



LETTER OF 3IR. JEFFERSON. 33 

sels would be excluded from those parts of the 
coast where their malpractices were so injurious 
to the Russians. 

Such is a brief outline of the enterprise pro- 
jected by Mr. Astor, but which continually ex- 
panded in his mind. Indeed it is due to him to 
say that he was not actuated by mere motives of 
individual profit. He was already wealthy be- 
yond the ordinary desires of man, but he now 
aspired to that honorable fame which is awarded 
to men of similar scope of mind, who by their 
great commercial enterprises have enriched na- 
tions, peopled wildernesses, and extended the 
bounds of empire. He considered his projected 
estabhshment at the mouth of the Columbia as 
the emporium to an immense commerce ; as a 
colony that would form the germ of a wide 
civilization ; that would, in fact, carry the Ameri- 
can population across the Rocky Mountains and 
spread it along the shores of the Pacific, as it 
already animated the shores of the Atlantic. 

As Mr. Astor, by the magnitude of his com- 
mercial and financial relations, and the vigor and 
scope of his self-taught mind, had elevated him- 
self into the consideration of government and the 
communion and correspondence with leading 
statesmen, he, at an early period, communicated 
his schemes to President Jefferson, soliciting the 
countenance of government. How highly they 
were esteemed by that eminent man, we may 
judge by the following passage, written by him 
some time afterwards to Mr. Astor. 

" I remember well having invited your prop- 
3 



34 ASTORIA. 

osition on this subject,^ and encouraged it with 
the assurance of every facility and protection 
which the government could properly afford. I 
considered, as a great public acquisition, the com- 
mencement of a settlement on that point of the 
western coast of America, and looked forward 
with gratification to the time when its descend- 
ants should have spread themselves through the 
whole length of that coast, covering it with free 
and independent Americans, unconnected with us 
but by the ties of blood and interest, and enjoy- 
ing like us the rights of self-government." 

The cabinet joined with Mr. Jefferson in warm 
approbation of the plan, and held out assurance 
of every protection that could, consistently with 
general policy, be afforded. 

Mr. Astor now prepared to carry his scheme 
into prompt execution. He had some competi- 
tion, however, to apprehend and guard against. 
The Northwest Company, acting feebly and par- 
tially upon the suggestions of its former agent, 
Sir Alexander Mackenzie, had pushed one or 
two advanced trading posts across the Rocky 
Mountains, into a tract of country visited by that 
enterprising traveller, and since named New 
Caledonia. This tract lay about two degrees 
north of the Columbia, and intervened between 

1 On this point Mr. Jefferson's memory was in error. The 
proposition alluded to was the one, already mentioned, for the 
establishment of an American Fur Company in the Atlantic 
States. The great enterprise beyond the mountains, that was 
to sweep the shores of the Pacific, originated in the mind of 
Mr. Astor, and was proposed by him to the government. 



DISADVANTAGES OF RIVALRY. 35 

the territories of the United States and those of 
Russia. Its length was about five hundred and 
fifty miles, and its breadth, from the mountains 
to the Pacific, from three hundred to three hun- 
dred and fifty geographical miles. 

Should the Northwest Company persist in ex- 
tending their trade in that quarter, their compe- 
tition might be of serious detriment to the plans 
of Mr. Astor. It is true they would contend 
with him to a vast disadvantage, from the checks 
and restrictions to which they were subjected. 
They were straitened on one side by the rivalry 
of the Hudson's Bay Company ; then they had 
no good post on the Pacific where they could 
receive supplies by sea for their establishments 
beyond the mountains ; nor, if they had one, 
could they ship their furs thence to China, that 
great mart for peltries ; the Chinese trade being 
comprised in the monopoly of the East India 
Company. Their posts beyond the mountains 
had to be supplied in yearly expeditions, like 
caravans, from Montreal, and the furs conveyed 
back in the same way, by long, precarious, and 
expensive routes, across the continent. Mr. 
Astor, on the contrary, would be able to supply 
his proposed establishment at the mouth of the 
Columbia by sea, and to ship the furs collected 
there directly to China, so as to undersell the 
Northwest Company in the great Chinese market. 

Still, the competition of two rival companies 
west of the Rocky Mountains could not but prove 
detrimental to both, and fraught with those evils, 
both to the trade and to the Indians, that had at- 



36 ASTORIA. 

tended similar rivalries in the Canadas. To pre- 
vent any contest of the kind, therefore, he made 
known his plan to the agents of the Northwest 
Company, and proposed to interest them, to the 
extent of one third, in the trade thus to be opened. 
Some correspondence and negotiation ensued. The 
company were aware of the advantages which 
would be possessed by Mr. As tor should he be 
able to carry his scheme into effect ; but they an- 
ticipated a monopoly of the trade beyond the 
mountains by their establishments in New Cale- 
donia, and were loth to share it with an individual 
who had already proved a formidable competitor 
in the Atlantic trade. They hoped, too, by a 
timely move, to secure the mouth of the Columbia 
before Mr. Astor would be able to put his plans 
into operation ; and, that key to the internal trade 
once in their possession, the whole country would 
be at their command. After some negotiation 
and delay, therefore, they declined the proposition 
that had been made to them, but subsequently 
dispatched a party for the mouth of the Columbia, 
to establish a post there before any expedition 
sent out by Mr. Astor might arrive. 

In the mean time Mr. Astor, finding his over- 
tures rejected, proceeded fearlessly to execute his 
enterprise in face of the whole power of the North- 
west Company. His main establishment once 
planted at the mouth of the Columbia, he looked 
with confidence to ultimate success. Being able 
to reinforce and supply it amply by sea, he would 
push his interior posts in every direction up the 
rivers and along the coast ; supplying the natives 



PREPARATIONS FOR THE ENTERPRISE. 37 

at a lower rate, and thus gradually obliging the 
Northwest Company to give up the competition, 
relinquish New Caledonia, and retire to the other 
side of the mountains. He would then have pos- 
session of the trade, not merely of the Columbia 
and its tributaries, but of the regions farther north, 
quite to the Russian possessions. Such was a 
part of his brilliant and comprehensive plan. 

He now proceeded, with all diligence, to pro- 
cure proper agents and coadjutors, habituated to 
the Indian trade and to the life of the wilderness. 
Among the clerks of the Northwest Company 
were several of great capacity and experience, 
who had served out their probationary terms, but 
who, either through lack of interest and influence, 
or a want of vacancies, had not been promoted. 
They were consequently much dissatisfied, and 
ready for any emplpyment in which their talents 
and acquirements might be turned to better ac- 
count. 

Mr. Astor made his overtures to several of these 
persons, and three of them entered into his views. 
One of these, Mr. Alexander M'Kay, had ac- 
companied Sir Alexander Mackenzie in both of 
his expeditions to the northwest coast of America 
in 1789 and 1793. The other two were Duncan 
M'Dougal and Donald M'Kenzie. To these were 
subsequently added Mr. Wilson Price Hunt, of 
New Jersey. As this gentleman was a native 
born citizen of the United States, a person of 
great probity and worth, he was selected by Mr. 
Astor to be his chief agent, and to represent him 
in the contemplated establishment. 



38 ASTORIA. 

On the 23d of June, 1810, articles of agree- 
ment were entered into between Mr. Astor and 
those four gentlemen, acting for themselves and 
for the several persons who had already agreed to 
become, or should thereafter become, associated 
under the firm of " The Pacific Fur Company." 

According to these articles, Mr. Astor was to 
be at the head of the company, and to manage its 
affairs in New York. He was to furnish vessels, 
goods, provisions, arms, ammunition, and all other 
requisites for the enterprise at first cost and 
charges, provided that they did not, at any time, 
involve an advance of more than four hundred 
thousand dollars. 

The stock of the company was to be divided 
into a hundred equal shares, with the profits ac- 
cruing thereon. Fifty shares were to be at the 
disposition of Mr. Astor, and the other fifty to be 
divided among the partners and their associates. 

Mr. Astor was to have the privilege of intro- 
ducing other persons into the connection, as part- 
ners, two of whom, at least, should be conversant 
with the Indian trade, and none of them entitled 
to more than three shares. 

A general meeting of the company was to be 
held annually at Columbia River, for the inves- 
tigation and regulation of its affairs ; at which 
absent members might be represented, and might 
vote by proxy under certain specified conditions. 

The association, if successful, was to continue 
for twenty years ; but the parties had full power 
to abandon and dissolve it within the first five 
years, should it be found unprofitable. For this 



THE PACIFIC FUR COMPANY. 39 

term Mr. Astor covenanted to bear all the loss 
that might be incurred ; after which it was to be 
borne by all the partners, in proportion to their 
respective shares. 

The parties of the second part were to execute 
faithfully such duties as might be assigned to them 
by a majority of the company on the northwest 
coast, and to repair to such place or places as the 
majority might direct. 

An agent, appointed for the term of five years, 
was to reside at the principal establishment on 
the northwest coast, and Wilson Price Hunt was 
the one chosen for the first term. Should the 
interests of the concern at any time require his 
absence, a person was to be appointed, in general 
meeting, to take his place. 

Such were the leading conditions of this as- 
sociation; we shall now proceed to relate the 
various hardy and eventful expeditions, by sea 
and land, to which it gave rise. 




CHAPTER IV. 

]N prosecuting his great scheme of com- 
merce and colonization, two expeditions 
were devised by Mr. Astor, one by sea, 
the other by land. The former was to carry out 
the people, stores, ammunition, and merchandise, 
requisite for establishing a fortified trading post 
at the mouth of Columbia River. The latter, con- 
ducted by Mr. Hunt, was to proceed up the Mis- 
souri, and across the Rocky Mountains, to the 
same point; exploring a line of communication 
across the continent, and noting the places where 
interior trading posts might be established. The 
expedition by sea is the one which comes first 
under consideration. 

A fine ship was provided called the Tonquin, 
of two hundred and ninety tons burden, mounting 
ten guns, with a crew of twenty men. She carried 
an assortment of merchandise for trading with the 
natives of the sea-board and of the interior, to- 
gether with the frame of a schooner, to be employed 
in the coasting trade. Seeds also were provided 
for the cultivation of the soil, and nothing was 
neglected for the necessary supply of the establish- 
ment. The command of the ship was intrusted 
to Jonathan Thorn, of New York, a lieutenant 
in the United States navy, on leave of absence. 



MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION. 41 

He was a man of courage and firmness, who had 
distinguished himself in our TripoUtan war, and, 
from being accustomed to naval disciplme, was 
considered by Mr. Astor as well fitted to take 
charge of an expedition of the kind. Four of 
the partners were to embark in the ship, namely, 
Messrs. M'Kay, M'Dougal, David Stuart, and his 
nephew, Robert Stuart. Mr. M'Dougal was em- 
powered by Mr. Astor to act as his proxy in the 
absence of Mr. Hunt, to vote for him and in his 
name, on any question that might come before any 
meeting of the persons interested in the voyage. 

Beside the partners, there were twelve clerks 
to go out in the ship, several of them natives of 
Canada, who had some experience in Indian trade. 
They were bound to the service of the company 
for five years, at the rate of one -hundred dollars a 
year, payable at the expiration of the term, and 
an annual equipment of clothing to the amount 
of forty dollars. In case of ill conduct they were 
liable to forfeit their wages and be dismissed ; but, 
should they acquit themselves well, the confident 
expectation was held out to them of promotion, 
and partnership. Their interests were thus, to 
some extent, identified with those of the company. 

Several artisans were likewise to sail in the 
ship, for the supply of the colony; but the most 
pecuUar and characteristic part of this motley em- 
barkation consisted of thirteen Canadian "voy- 
ageurs," who had enlisted for five years. As this 
class of functionaries will continually recur in the 
course of the folio wmg narrations, and as they 
form one of those distinct and strongly marked 



42 ASTORIA. 

castes or orders of people, springing up in this 
vast continent out of geographical circumstances, 
or the varied pursuits, habitudes, and origins of 
its population, we shall sketch a few of their 
characteristics for the information of the reader. 

The " voyageurs " form a kind of confraternity 
in the Canadas, like the arrieros, or carriers of 
Spain, and, like them, are employed in long in- 
ternal expeditions of travel and traffic : with this 
difference, that the arrieros travel by land, the voy- 
ageurs by water ; the former with mules and 
horses, the latter with batteaux and canoes. The 
voyageurs may be said to have sprung up out of 
the fur trade, having originally been employed by 
the early French merchants in their trading ex- 
peditions through the labyrinth of rivers and lakes 
of the boundless interior. They were coeval with 
the coureurs des bois, or rangers of the woods, al- 
ready noticed, and, like them, in the intervals of 
their long, arduous, and laborious expeditions, were 
prone to pass their time in idleness and revelry 
about the trading posts or settlements ; squander- 
ing their hard earnings in heedless conviviality, 
and rivaling their neighbors, the Indians, in in- 
dolent indulgence and an imprudent disregard of 
the morrow. 

When Canada passed under British domination, 
and the old French trading houses were broken 
up, the voyageurs, like the coureurs des bois, were 
for a time disheartened and disconsolate, and with 
difficulty could reconcile themselves to the service 
of the new-comers, so different in habits, manners, 
and language from their former emjDloyers. By 



CANADIAN VOYAGEURS. 43 

degrees, however, they became accustomed to the 
change, and at length came to consider the British 
far traders, and especially the members of the 
Northwest Company, as the legitimate lords of 
creation. 

The dress of these j^eople is generally half 
civilized, half savage. They wear a capot or sur- 
coat, made of a blanket, a striped cotton shirt, 
cloth trowsers, or leathern leggins, moccasins of 
deer-skin, and a belt of variegated worsted, from 
which are suspended the knife, tobacco-pouch, and 
other implements. Their language is of the same 
piebald character, being a French patois, embroi- 
dered with Indian and English words and phrases. 

The lives of the voyageurs are passed in wild 
and extensive rovings, in the service of individuals, 
but more especially of the fur traders. They are 
generally of French descent, and inherit much of 
the gayety and lightness of heart of their ancestors, 
being full of anecdote and song, and ever ready 
for the dance. They inherit, too, a fund of civil- 
ity and complaisance ; and, instead of that hard- 
ness and grossness which men in laborious life are 
apt to indulge towards each other, they are mut- 
ually obliging and accommodating ; interchangmg 
kind offices, yielding each other assistance and 
comfort in every emergency, and usmg the famil- 
iar appellations of " cousui" and " brother" when 
there is in fact no relationship. Their natural 
good- will is probably heightened by a community 
of adventure and hardship in their precarious and 
wandering life. 

No men are more submissive to their leaders 



44 ASTORIA. 

and employers, more cajDable of enduring hard- 
ship, or more good-humored under privations. 
Never are they so happy as when on long and 
rough expeditions, toiling up rivers or coasting 
lakes ; encamping at night on the borders, gossip- 
ing round their fires, and bivouacking in the open 
air. They are dextrous boatmen, vigorous and 
adroit with the oar and paddle, and will row from 
morning until night without a murmur. The 
steersman often sings an old traditionary French 
song, with some regular burden in which they all 
join, keeping time with their oars ; if at any time 
they flag in spirits or relax in exertion, it is but 
necessary to strike up a song of the kind to put 
them all in fresh spirits and activity. The Cana- 
dian waters are vocal with these httle French chan- 
sons, that have been echoed from mouth to mouth 
and transmitted from father to son, from the earliest 
days of the colony ; and it has a pleasing effect, 
in a still golden summer evening, to see a batteau 
gliding across the bosom of a lake and dipping its 
oars to the cadence of these quaint old ditties, or 
sweeping along in full chorus on a bright sunny 
morning, down the transparent current of one of 
the Canada rivers. 

But we are talkinoj of thins^s that are fast fad- 
ing away ! The march of mechanical invention 
is driving everything poetical before it. The 
steamboats, which are fast dispelling the wildness 
and romance of our lakes and rivers, and aiding 
to subdue the world into commonplace, are prov- 
ing as fatal to the race of the Canadian voyageurs 
as they have been to that of the boatmen of the 



BOATING AND BOASTING. 45 

Mississippi. Their glory is departed. They are 
no longer the lords of our internal seas, and the 
great navigators of the wilderness. Some of them 
may still occasionally be seen coasting the lower 
lakes with their frail barks, and pitchmg their 
camps and lighting their fires upon the shores; 
but their range is fast contracting to those remote 
waters and shallow and obstructed rivers un visited 
by the steamboat. In the course of years they 
will gradually disappear ; their songs will die away 
like the echoes they once awakened, and the 
Canadian voyageurs will become a forgotten race, 
or remembered, like their associates, the Indians, 
among the poetical images of past times, and as 
themes for local and romantic associations. 

An instance of the buoyant temperament and 
the professional pride of these people was fur- 
nished in the gay and braggart style in which 
they arrived at New York to join the enterprise. 
They were determined to regale and astonish the 
people of the " States " with the sight of a Can- 
adian boat and a Canadian crew. They accord- 
ingly fitted up a large but light bark canoe, such as 
is used in the fur trade ; transported it in a wagon 
fi'om the banks of the St. Lawrence to the shores 
of Lake Champlain ; traversed the lake in it, from 
end to end ; hoisted it again in a wagon and 
wheeled it off to Lansingburgh, and there launched 
it upon the waters of the Hudson. Down this 
river they plied their course merrily on a fine 
summer's day, making its banks resound for the 
first time with their old French boat songs ; pass- 
ing by the villages with whoop and halloo, so as to 



46 ASTORIA. 

make the honest Dutch farmers mistake them for 
a crew of savages. In this way they swept, in 
full song and with regular flourish of the paddle, 
round New York, in a still summer evening, to 
the wonder and admiration of its inhabitants, who 
had never before witnessed on their waters, a 
nautical apparition of the kind. 

Such was the variegated band of adventurers 
about to embark in the Tonquin on this arduous 
and doubtful enterprise. Wliile yet in port and 
on dry land, in the bustle of preparation and the 
excitement of novelty, all was sunshine and 
promise. The Canadians, especially, who, with 
their constitutional vivacity, have a considerable 
dash of the gascon, were buoyant and boastful, 
and great braggarts as to the future ; while all 
those who had been in the service of the North- 
west Company, and engaged in the Indian trade, 
plumed themselves upon their hardihood and 
their capacity to endure privations. If Mr. Astor 
ventured to hint at the difficulties they might 
have to encounter, they treated them with scorn. 
They were " northwesters ; " men seasoned to 
hardships, who cared for neither wind nor weather. 
They could live hard, lie hard, sleep hard, 
eat dogs ! — in a word they were ready to do 
and suffer anything for the good of the enter- 
prise. With all this profession of zeal and de- 
votion, Mr. Astor was not over-confident of the 
stability and firm faith of these mercurial beings. 
He had received information, also, that an armed 
brig from Halifax, probably at the instigation of 
the Northwest Company, was hovering on the 



ABUSE OF CONFIDENCE. 47 

coast, watching for the Tonquin, with the pur- 
pose of impressing the Canadians on board of 
her, as British subjects, and thus interrupting the 
voyage. It was a time of doubt and anxiety, 
when the relations between the United States 
and Great Britain were daily assuming a more 
precarious aspect and verging towards that war 
which shortly ensued. As a precautionary 
measure, therefore, he required that the voy- 
ageurs, as they were about to enter into the 
service of an American association, and to reside 
within the limits of the United States, should 
take the oaths of naturalization as American 
citizens. To this they readily agreed, and 
shortly afterward assured him that they had 
actually done so. It was not until after they 
had sailed that he discovered that they had 
entirely deceived him in the matter. 

The confidence of Mr. Astor was abused in 
another quarter. Two of the partners, both of 
them Scotchmen, and recently in the service of 
the Northwest Company, had misgivings as to an 
enterprise which .might clash with the interests 
and establishments protected by the British flag. 
They privately waited upon the British minister, 
Mr. Jackson, then in New York, laid open to him 
the whole scheme of Mr. Astor, though intrusted 
to them in confidence, and dependent, in a great 
measure, upon secrecy at the outset for its success, 
and inquired whether they, as British subjects, 
could lawfully engage in it. The rejDly satisfied 
their scruples, while the information they im- 
parted excited the surprise and admiration of Mr. 



48 AS TOE I A. 

Jackson, that a private individual should have 
conceived and set on foot at his own risk and 
expense so great an enterprise. 

This stej) on the part of those gentlemen was 
not known to Mr. Astor until some time after- 
wards, or it might have modified the trust and 
confidence reposed in them. 

To guard against any interruption to the 
voyage by the armed brig, said to be off the 
harbor, Mr. Astor applied to Commodore 
Rodgers, at that time commanding at New York, 
to give the Tonquin safe convoy off the coast. 
The commodore having received from a liigh 
official source assurance of the deep interest 
which the government took in the enterprise, 
sent directions to Captain Hull, at that time 
cruising off the harbor, in the frigate Consti- 
tution, to afford the Tonquin the required pro- 
tection when she should put to sea. 

Before the day of embarkation, Mr. Astor 
addressed a letter of instruction to the four 
partners who were to sail in the ship. In this 
he enjoined them, in the most earnest manner, to 
cultivate harmony and unanimity, and recom- 
mended that all differences of opinions on points 
connected with the objects and interests of the 
voyage should be discussed by the whole, and 
decided by a majority of votes. He, moreover, 
gave them especial caution as to their conduct on 
arriving at their destined port; exhorting them 
to be careful to make a favorable impression 
upon the wild people among whom their lot and 
the fortunes of the enterprise would be cast. " If 



PARTING ADMONITIONS. 49 

you find them kind," said he, " as I hope you will, 
be so to them. If otherwise, act with caution 
and forbearance, and convince them that you 
-^ome as friends." 

With the same anxious forethought he wrote 
a letter of instructions to Captain Thorn, in 
which he urged the strictest attention to the 
health of himself and his crew, and to the promo- 
tion of good-humor and harmony on board his 
ship. " To prevent any misunderstanding," 
added he, "will require your particular good 
management." His letter closed with an in- 
junction of wariness in his intercourse with the 
natives, a subject on which Mr. Astor was justly 
sensible he could not be too earnest. " I must 
recommend you," said he, "to be particularly 
careful on the coast, and not to rely too much on 
the friendly disposition of the natives. All acci- 
dents which have as yet happened there arose 
from too much confidence in the Indians." 

The reader will bear these mstructions in 
mind, as events will prove their wisdom and im- 
portance, and the disasters wliich ensued in con- 
sequence of the neglect of them. 



CHAPTER V. 



^^^N the eighth of September, 1810, the 
Tonquhi put to sea, where she was 
soon joined by the frigate Constitution. 



The wind was fresh and fair from the southwest, 
and the ship was soon out of sight of land and 
free from the apprehended danger of interruption. 
The frigate, therefore, gave her " God speed," 
and left her to her course. 

The harmony so earnestly enjoined by Mr. 
Astor on this heterogeneous crew, and which 
had been so confidently promised in the buoyant 
moments of preparation, was doomed to meet 
with a check at the very outset. 

Captain Thorn was an honest, straightforward, 
but somewhat dry and dictatorial commander, 
who, having been nurtured in the system and 
discipline of a ship of war, and in a sacred 
opinion of the supremacy of the quarter-deck, 
was disposed to be absolute lord and master on 
board of his ship. He appears, moreover, to 
have had no great opinion, from the first, of the 
persons embarked with him. He had stood by 
with surly contempt while they vaunted so 
bravely to Mr. Astor of all they could do and all 
they could undergo ; how they could face all 
weathers, put up with all kinds of fare, and 



CAPTAIN DISAGREES WITH PARTNERS. 51 

even eat dogs with a relish, when no better food 
was to be had. He had set them down as a 
set of landlubbers and braggadocios, and was dis- 
posed to treat them accordingly. Mr. Astor was 
in his eyes, his only real employer, being the 
father of the enterprise, who furnished all funds 
and bore all losses. The others were mere agents 
and subordinates, who lived at his expense. ^ He 
evidently had but a narrow idea of the scope 
and nature of the enterprise, limiting his views 
merely to his part of it ; everything beyond the 
concerns of his ship was out of his sphere ; and 
anything that interfered with the routine of his 
nautical duties put him in a passion. 

The partners, on the other hand, had been 
brought up in the service of the Northwest Com- 
pany, and in a profound idea of the importance, 
dignity, and authority of a partner. They al- 
ready began to consider themselves on a par 
with the M'Tavishes, the M'Gillivrays, the Fro- 
bishers, and the other magnates of the Northwest, 
whom they had been accustomed to look up to as' 
the great ones of the earth ; and they were a 
little disposed, perhaps, to wear their suddenly- 
acquired honors with some air of pretension. 
IMr. Astor, too, had put them on their mettle 
with respect to the captain, describing him as a 
gunpowder fellow who would command his ship 
in fine style, and, if there was any fighting to 
do, would " blow all out of the water." 

Thus prepared to regard each other with no 
very cordial eye, it is not to be wondered at 
that the parties soon came into collision. On 



52 ASTORIA. 

the very first night Captain Thorn began his 
man-of-war discipline by ordering the lights in 
the cabin to be extinguished at eight o'clock. 

The pride of the partners was immediately in 
arms. This was an invasion of their rights and 
dignities not to be borne. They were on board 
of their own ship, and entitled to consult their 
ease and enjoyment. M'Dougal was the cham- 
pion of their cause. He was an active, irritable, 
fuming, vainglorious little man, and elevated in 
his own opinion, by being the proxy of Mr. 
Astor. A violent altercation ensued, in the 
course of which Thorn threatened to put the 
partners in irons should they prove refractory; 
upon which M'Dougal seized a pistol and swore 
to be the death of the captain should he ever 
offer such an indignity. It was some time before 
the irritated parties could be pacified by the more 
temperate bystanders. 

Such was the captain's outset with the part- 
ners. Nor did the clerks stand much higher in 
his good graces ; indeed, he seems to have re- 
garded all the landsmen on board his ship as a 
kind of live lumber, continually in the way. 
The poor voyageurs, too, continually irritated 
his spleen by their " lubberly " and unseemly hab- 
its, so abhorrent to one accustomed to the clean- 
liness of a man-of-war. These poor fresh-water 
sailors, so vainglorious on shore, and almost am- 
phibious when on lakes and rivers, lost all heart 
and stomach the moment they were at sea. For 
days they suffered the doleful rigors and retch- 
ings of sea-sickness, lurking below in their 



LANDSMEN AT SEA. 53 

berths in squalid state, or emerging now and 
then like spectres from the hatchways, in capotes 
and blankets, with dirty nightcaps, grizzly beard, 
lantern visage and unhappy eye, shivering about 
the deck, and ever and anon crawling to the 
sides of the vessel, and offering up their tributes 
to the windward, to the infinite annoyance of 
the captain. 

His letters to Mr. Astor, wherein he pours 
forth the bitterness of his soul, and his seaman- 
like impatience of what he considers the '•''luh' 
herly^^ character and conduct of those around 
him, are before us, and are amusingly character- 
istic. The honest captain is full of vexation on 
his own account, and solicitude on account of 
Mr. Astor, whose property he considers at the 
mercy of a most heterogeneous and wasteful 
crew. 

As to the clerks, he pronounced them mere 
pretenders, not one of whom had ever been 
among the Indians, nor farther to the northwest 
than Montreal, nor of higher rank than bar- 
keeper of a tavern or marker of a billiard-table, 
excepting one, who had been a school-master, and 
whom he emphatically sets down for " as foolish 
a pedant as ever lived." 

Then as to the artisans and laborers who had 
been brought from Canada and shipped at such 
expense, the three most respectable, according to 
the captain's account, were culprits, who had fled 
from Canada on account of their misdeeds ; the 
rest had figured in Montreal as draymen, barbers, 
waiters, and carriole drivers, and were the most 



54 ASTORIA. 

helpless, worthless beings '' that ever broke sea- 
biscuit." 

It may easily be imagined what a series of 
misunderstandings and cross-purposes would be 
likely to take place between such a crew and 
such a commander. The captain, in his zeal 
for the health and cleanliness of his ship, would 
make sweeping visitations to the " lubber nests " 
of the unlucky " voyageurs " and their compan- 
ions in misery, ferret them out of their berths, 
make them air and wash themselves and their 
accoutrements, and oblige them to stir about 
briskly and take exercise. 

Nor did his disgust and vexation cease when 
all hands had recovered from sea-sickness, and 
become accustomed to the ship, for now broke 
out an alarming keenness of appetite that threat- 
ened havoc to the provisions. "What especially 
irritated the captain was the daintiness of some 
of his cabin passengers. They were loud in 
their complaints of the ship's fare, though their 
table was served with fresh pork, hams, tongues, 
smoked beef, and puddings. *■ When thwarted in 
their cravings for delicacies," said he, " they would 
exclaim it was d — d hard they could not live as 
they pleased upon their own property, being on 
board of their own ship, freighted with their own 
merchandise. And these," added he, " are the 
fine fellows who made such boast that they conld 
' eat dogs. ' " 

In his indignation at what he termed their effem- 
inacy, he would swear that he would never take 
them to sea again " without having Fly-market 



A VETERAN FROM LABRADOR. 55 

on the forecastle, Covent-gardeii on the poop, 
and a cool spring from Canada in the maintop." 
As they proceeded on their voyage and got 
into the smooth seas and pleasant weather of 
the tropics, other annoyances occurred to vex 
the spirit of the captain. He had been crossed 
by the irritable mood of one of the partners ; 
he was now excessively annoyed by the good- 
humor of another. This was the elder Stuart, 
who was an easy soul, and of a social disposition. 
He had seen life in Canada, and on the coast of 
Labrador ; had been a fur trader in the former, 
and a fisherman on the latter ; and, in the course 
of his experience, had made various expeditions 
with voyageurs. He was accustomed, therefore, 
to the familiarity which prevails between that 
class and their superiors, and the gossipings 
which take place among them when seated round 
a fire at their encampments. Stuart was never 
so happy as when he could seat himself on the 
deck with a number of these men round him, in 
camping style, smoke together, passing the pipe 
from mouth to mouth, after the manner of the 
Indians, sing old Canadian boat-songs, and tell 
stories about their hardships and adventures, in 
the course of which he rivaled Sinbad in his long 
tales of the sea, about his fishing exploits on the 
coast of Labrador. 

This gossiping familiarity shocked the cap- 
tain's notions of rank and subordination, and 
nothing was so abhorrent to him as the commu- 
nity of pipe between master and man, and their 
mingling in chorus in the outlandish boat-son<Ts. 



56 ASTORIA. 

Then there was another whimsical source of 
annoyance to him. Some of the young clerks, 
who were making their first voyage, and to 
whom everything was new and strange, were, 
very rationally, in the habit of taking notes and 
keeping journals. This was a sore abomination 
to the honest captain, who held their literary 
pretensions in great contempt. "The collecting 
of materials for long histories of their voyages 
and travels, " said he, in his letter to Mr. Astor, 
"appears to engross most of their attention." 
We can conceive what must have been the 
crusty impatience of the worthy navigator, when, 
on any trifling occurrence in the course of the 
voyage, quite commonplace in his eyes, he saw 
these young landsmen running to record it in 
their journals ; and what indignant glances he 
must have cast to right and left, as he worried 
about the deck, giving out his orders for the 
management of the ship, surrounded by singing, 
smoking, gossiping, scribbling groups, all, as he 
thought, intent upon the amusement of the pass- 
ing hour, instead of the great purposes and in- 
terests of the voyage. 

It is possible the captain was in some degree 
right in his notions. Though some of the pas- 
sengers had much to gain by the voyage, none 
of them had anything positively to lose. They 
were mostly young men, in the heyday of life ; 
and having got into fine latitudes, upon smooth 
seas, with a well-stored ship under them, and a 
fair wind in the shoulder of the sail, they seemed 
to have got into a holiday world, and were dis- 



CURIOUS TRAVELLERS. 57 

posed to enjoy it. That craving desire, natural 
to untravelled men of fresh and lively minds, to 
see strange lands, and to visit scenes famous in 
history or fable, was expressed by some of the 
partners and clerks, with respect to some of the 
storied coasts and islands that lay within their 
route. The captain, however, who regarded 
every coast and island with a matter-of-fact eye, 
and had no more associations connected with 
them than those laid down in his sea-chart, con- 
sidered all this curiosity as exceedingly idle and 
childish. " In the first part of the voyage," says 
he in his letter, " they were determined to have 
it said they had been in Africa, and therefore 
insisted on my stopping at the Cape de Verds. 
Next they said the ship should stop on the coast 
of Patagonia, for they must see the large and 
uncommon inhabitants of that place. Then 
they must go to the island where Robinson Cru- 
soe had so long lived. And lastly, they were 
determined to see the handsome inhabitants of 
Easter Island." 

To all these resolves the captain opposed his 
peremptory veto, as "contrary to instructions." 
Then would break forth an unavailing explosion 
of wrath on the part of certain of the partners, 
in the course of which they did not even spare 
Mr. Astor for his act of supererogation in fur- 
nishing orders for the control of the ship while 
they were on board, instead of leaving them to be 
the judges where it would be best for her to 
touch, and how long to remain. The choleric 
JVI'Dougal took the lead in these railings, being, 



58 ASTORIA. 

as has been observed, a little puffed up with the 
idea of being Mr. Astor's proxy. 

The captain, however, became only so much 
the more crusty and dogged in his adherence to 
his orders, and touchy and harsh in his dealings 
with his passengers, and frequent altercations 
ensued. He may in some measure have been in- 
fluenced by his seamanlike impatience of the 
interference of landsmen, and his high notions 
of naval etiquette and quarter-deck authority ; 
but he evidently had an honest, trusty concern 
for the interests of his employer. He pictured to 
himself the anxious projector of the enterprise, 
who had disbursed so munificently in its outfit, 
calculating on the zeal, fidelity, and singleness of 
purpose of his associates and agents ; while they, 
on the other hand, having a good ship at their 
disposal, and a deep pocket at home to bear them 
out, seemed ready to loiter on every coast, and 
amuse themselves in every port. 

On the fourth of December they came in sight 
of the Falkland Islands. Having been for some 
time on an allowance of water, it was resolved to 
anchor here and obtain a supply. A boat was 
sent into a small bay to take soundings. Mr. 
M'Dougal and Mr. M'Kay took this occasion to 
go on shore, but with a request from the captain 
that they would not detain the ship. Once on 
shore, however, they were in no haste to obey his 
orders, but rambled about in search of curiosities. 
The anchorage proving unsafe, and water difficult 
to be procured, the captain stood out to sea, and 
made repeated signals for those on shore to rejoin 



SPORTSMEN IN THE LURCH. 59 

the ship, but it was not until nine at night that 
they came on board. 

The wind being adverse, the boat was again 
sent on shore on the following morning, and the 
same gentlemen again landed, but promised to 
come off at a moment's warning ; they again 
forgot their promise in their eager pursuit of wild 
geese and sea-wolves. After a time the wind 
hauled fair, and signals were made for the boat. 
Half an hour elapsed but no boat put off. The 
captain reconnoitred the shore with his glass, 
and, to his infinite vexation, saw the loiterers in 
the full enjoyment of their " wild-goose-chase." 
Nettled to the quick, he immediately made sail. 
When those on shore saw the ship actually under 
way, they embarked with all speed, but had a 
hard pull of eight miles before they got on board, 
and then experienced but a grim reception, not- 
withstanding that they came well laden with the 
spoils of the chase. 

Two days afterwards, on the seventh of De- 
cember, they anchored at Fort Egmont, in the 
same island, where they remained four days 
taking in water and making repairs. This was a 
joyous time for the landsmen. They pitched a 
tent on shore, had a boat at their command, and 
passed their time merrily in rambling about the 
island, and coasting along the shores, shooting 
sea-lions, seals, foxes, geese, ducks, and penguins. 
None were keener in pursuit of this kind of 
game than M'Dougal and David Stuart; the lat- 
ter was reminded of aquatic sports on the coast 
of Labrador, and his hunting exploits in the 
Northwest. 



60 ASTORIA. 

lu the meantime the captain addressed himself 
steadily to the business of his ship, scorning the 
holiday spirit and useless pursuits of his emanci- 
pated messmates, and warning them, from time 
to time, not to wander away nor be out of hail. 
They promised, as usual, that the ship should 
never experience a moment's detention on their 
account, but, as usual, forgot their promise. 

On the morning of the 11th, the repairs being 
all finished, and the water casks replenished, the 
signal was given to embark, and the ship began 
to weigh anchor. At this time several of the 
passengers were dispersed about the island, 
amusing themselves in various ways. Some of 
the young men had found two inscriptions, in 
English, over a place where two unfortunate 
mariners had been buried in this desert island. 
As the inscriptions were nearly worn out by time 
and weather, they were playing the part of " Old 
Mortality," and piously renewing them. The 
signal from the ship summoned them from their 
labors ; they saw the sails unfurled, and that she 
was getting under way. The two sporting part- 
ners, however, Mr. M'Dougal and David Stuart, 
had strolled away to the south of the island in 
pursuit of penguins. It would never do to put 
off without them, as there was but one boat to 
convey the whole. 

While this delay took place on shore, the cap- 
tain was storming on board. This was the third 
time his orders had been treated with contempt, 
and the ship wantonly detained, and it should be 
the last; so he spread all sail and put to sea, 



CAPTAIN'S THREAT. 61 

swearing he would leave the laggards to shift for 
themselves. It was in vain that those on board 
made remonstrances and entreaties, and repre- 
sented the horrors of abandoning men upon a 
sterile and uninhabited island ; the sturdy captain 
was inflexible. 

In the meantime the penguin hunters had 
joined the engravers of tombstones, but not be- 
fore the ship was already out at sea. They all, 
to the number of eight, threw themselves into 
their boat, which was about twenty feet in length, 
and rowed with might and main. For three 
hours and a half did they tug anxiously and 
severely at the oar, swashed occasionally by the 
surging waves of the open sea, while the ship 
inexorably kept on her course, and seemed deter- 
mined to leave them behind. 

On board of the ship was the nephew of David 
Stuart, a young man of spirit and resolution. 
Seeing, as he thought, the captain obstinately 
bent upon abandoning his uncle and the others, 
he seized a pistol, and in a paroxysm of wrath 
swore he would blow out the captain's brains, 
unless he put about or shortened sail. 

Fortunately for all parties, the wind just then 
came ahead, and the boat was enabled to reach 
the ship ; otherwise, disastrous circumstances 
might have ensued. We can hardly believe that 
the captain really intended to carry his threat 
into full eflfect, and rather think he meant to let 
the laggards off for a long pull and a hearty 
fright. He declared, however, in his letter to 
Mr. Astor, that he was serious in his threats ; 



62 ASTORIA. 

and there is no knowing how far such an iron 
man may push his notions of authority. 

" Had the wind," writes he, " (unfortunately) 
not hauled ahead soon after leaving the harbor's 
mouth, I should positively have left them ; and, 
indeed, I cannot but think it an unfortunate cir- 
cumstance for you that it so happened, for the 
first loss in this instance would, in my opinion, 
have proved the best, as they seem to have no 
idea of the value of property, nor any apparent 
regard for your interest, although interwoven 
with their own." 

This, it must be confessed, was acting with a 
high hand, and carrying a regard to the owner's 
property to a dangerous length. Various petty 
feuds occurred also between him and the partners 
in respect to the goods on board the ship, some 
articles of which they wished to distribute for 
clothing among the men, or for other purposes 
which they deemed essential. The captain, how- 
ever, kept a mastiflf watch upon the cargo, and 
growled and snapped if they but offered to touch 
box or bale. " It was contrary to orders ; it 
would forfeit his insurance ; it was out of all 
rule." It was in vain they insisted upon their 
right to do so, as part owners, and as acting for 
the good of the enterprise ; the captain only stuck 
to his point the more stanchly. They consoled 
themselves, therefore, by declaring, that as soon 
as they made land, they would assert their rights, 
and do with ship and cargo as they pleased. 

Beside these feuds between the captain and 
the partners, there were feuds between the part- 



ARRIVAL AT OWYHEE. 63 

ners themselves, occasioned, in some measure, by 
jealousy of rank. M'Dougal and M'Kay began 
to draw plans for the fort, and other buildings of 
the intended establishment. They agreed very 
well as to the outline and dimensions, which 
were on a sufficiently grand scale ; but when 
they came to arrange the details, fierce disputes 
arose, and they would quarrel by the hour about 
the distribution of the doors and windows. 
Many were the hard words and hard names ban- 
died between them on these occasions, according 
to the captain's account. Each accused the 
other of endeavoring to assume unwarrantable 
power, and take the lead ; upon which Mr. 
M'Dougal would vauntingly lay down Mr, 
Astor's letter, constituting him his representative 
and proxy, a document not to be disputed. 

These wordy contests, though violent, were 
brief ; " and within fifteen minutes," says the 
captain, " they would be caressing each other 
like children." 

While all this petty anarchy was agitating the 
little world within the Tonquin, the good ship 
prosperously pursued her course, doubled Cape 
Horn on the 25th of December, careered across 
the bosom of the Pacific, until, on the 11th of 
February, the snowy peaks of Owyhee were seen 
brightening above the horizon. 



CHAPTER VI. 




|WYHEE, or Hawaii, as it is written 
by more exact orthographers, is the 
largest of the cluster, ten in number, 
of the Sandwich Islands. It is about ninety- 
seven miles in length, and seventy-eight in 
breadth, rising gradually into three pyramidal 
summits or cones ; the highest, Mouna Roa, 
being eignteen thousand feet above the level of 
the sea, so as to domineer over the whole archi- 
pelago, and to be a landmark over a wide extent 
of ocean. It remains a lasting monument of the 
enterprising and unfortunate Captain Cook, who 
was murdered by the natives of this island. 

The Sandwich Islanders, when first discovered, 
evinced a character superior to most of the 
savages of the Pacific . isles. They were frank 
and open in their deportment, friendly and liberal 
in their dealings, with an apt ingenuity apparent 
in all their rude inventions. 

The tragical fate of the discoverer, which, for 
a time, brought them under the charge of 
ferocity, was, in fact, the result of sudden ex- 
asperation, caused by the seizure of their chief. 

At the time of the visit of the Tonquin, the 
islanders had profited, in many respects, by occa- 
sional intercourse with white men ; and had 



TAMAAEMAAH. — HIS NAVY. 65 

shown a quickness to observe and cultivate those 
arts important to their mode of living. Origin- 
ally they had no means of navigating the seas by 
which they were surrounded, superior to light 
pirogues, which were little competent to contend 
with the storms of the broad ocean. As the 
islanders are not in sight of each other, there 
could, therefore, be but casual intercourse between 
them. The traffic with white men had put them 
in possession of vessels of superior description ; 
they had made themselves acquainted with their 
management, and had even made rude advances 
in the art of ship-building. 

These improvements had been promoted, in a 
great measure, by the energy and sagacity of one 
man, the famous Tamaahraaah. He had origi- 
nally been a petty eri, or chief; but, being of an 
intrepid and aspiring nature, he had risen in 
rank, and, availing himself of the superior ad- 
vantages now afforded in navigation, had brought 
the whole archipelago in subjection to his arms. 
At the time of the arrival of the Tonquin he 
had about forty schooners, of from twenty to 
thirty tons burden, and one old American ship. 
With these he held undisputed sway over his 
insular domains, and carried on intercourse with 
the chiefs or governors whom he had placed in 
command of the several islands. 

The situation of this group of islands, far in 
the bosom of the vast Pacific, and their abund- 
ant fertility, render them important stopping- 
places on the highway to China, or to the north- 
west coast of America. Here the vessels en- 
5 



66 ASTORIA. 

gaged in the fur trade touched to make repairs 
and procure provisions ; and here they often 
sheltered themselves during the winters that 
occurred in their long coasting expeditions. 

The British navigators were, from the first, 
aware of the value of these islands to the pur- 
poses of commerce ; and Tamaahmaah, not long 
after he had attained the sovereign sway, was 
persuaded by Vancouver, the celebrated discov- 
erer, to acknowledge, on behalf of himself and 
subjects, allegiance to the king of Great Britain. 
The reader cannot but call to mind the visit 
which the royal family and court of the Sand- 
wich Islands was, in late years, induced to make 
to the court of St. James ; and the serio-comic 
ceremonials and mock parade which attended that 
singular travesty of monarchal style. 

It was a part of the wide and comprehensive 
plan of Mr. Astor to establish a friendly inter- 
course between these islands and his intended 
colony, which might, for a time, have occasion to 
draw supplies thence; and he even had a vague 
idea of, some time or other, getting possession of 
one of their islands as a rendezvous for his ships, 
and a link in the chain of his commercial estab- 
lishments. 

On the evening of the 12th of February, the 
Tonquin anchored in the bay of Karakakooa, 
in the island of Owyhee. The surrounding 
shores were wild and broken, with overhanging 
cliffs and precipices of black volcanic rock. 
Beyond these, however, the country was fertile 
and well cultivated, with inclosures of yams, 



WOAHOO. — EOYAL MONOPOLY. 67 

plantains, sweet potatoes, sugar-canes, and other 
productions of warm climates and teeming soils ; 
and the numerous habitations of the natives were 
pleasantly sheltered beneath clumps of cocoanut 
and bread-fruit trees, which afforded both food 
and shade. This mingled variety of garden and 
grove swept gradually up the sides of the moun- 
tains, until succeeded by dense forests, which in 
turn gave place to naked and craggy rocks, until 
the summits rose into the regions of perpetual 
snow. 

The royal residence of Tamaahmaah was at 
this time at another island named Woahoo. The 
island of Owyhee was under the command of one 
of his eries, or chiefs, who resided at the village 
of Tocaigh, situated on a different part of the 
coast from the bay of Karakakooa. 

On the morning after her arrival, the ship was 
surrounded by canoes and pirogues, filled with 
the islanders of both sexes, bringing off supplies 
of fruits and vegetables, bananas, plantains, water- 
melons, yams, cabbages, and taro. The captain 
was desirous, however, of purchasing a number 
of hogs, but there were none to be had. The 
trade in pork was a royal monopoly, and no sub- 
ject of the great Tamaahmaah dared to meddle 
with it. Such provisions as they could furnish, 
however, were brought by the natives in abund- 
ance, and a lively intercourse was kept up during 
the day, in which the women mingled in the kind- 
est manner. 

The islanders are a comely race, of a copper 
complexion. The men are tali and well made, 



68 ASTORIA. 

with forms indicating strength and activity ; the 
women with regular and occasionally handsome 
features, and a lascivious expression, character- 
istic of their temperament. Their style of dress 
was nearly the same as in the days of Captain 
Cook. The men wore the maro, a band one foot 
in width and several feet in length, swathed 
round the loins, and formed of tappa, or cloth of 
bark ; the kihei, or mantle, about six feet square, 
tied in a knot over one shoulder, passed under the 
opposite arm, so as to leave it bare, and falling in 
graceful folds before and behind, to the knee, so 
as to bear some resemblance to a Roman toga. 

The female dress consisted of the pau, a gar- 
ment formed of a piece of tappa, several yards 
in length and one in width, wrapped round the 
waist, and reaching like a petticoat, to the knees. 
Over this a kihei or mantle, larger than that of 
the men, sometimes worn over both shoulders, 
like a shawl, sometimes over one only. These 
mantles were seldom worn by either sex during 
the heat of the day, when the exposure of their 
persons was at first very revolting to a civilized 
eye. 

Towards evening several of the partners and 
clerks went on shore, where they were well re- 
ceived and hospitably entertained. A dance was 
performed for their amusement, in which nineteen 
young women and one man figured very grace- 
fully, singing in concert, and moving to the ca- 
dence of their song. 

All this, however, was nothing to the purpose 
in the eyes of Captain Thorn, who, being disap- 



ENTHUSIASM AT OWYHEE. 69 

pointed in his hope of obtaining a supply of pork, 
or finding good water, was anxious to be oflf. 
This it was not so easy to effect. The passen- 
gers, once on shore, were disposed, as usual, to 
profit by the occasion. The partners had many 
inquiries to make relative to the island, with a 
view to business ; while the young clerks were 
delighted with the charms and graces of the danc- 
ing damsels. 

To add to their gratifications, an old man 
offered to conduct them to the spot where Cap- 
tain Cook was massacred. The proposition was 
eagerly accepted, and all hands set out on a 
pilgrimage to the place. The veteran islander 
performed his promise faithfully, and pointed 
out the very spot where the unfortunate discov- 
erer fell. The rocks and cocoa-trees around 
bore record of the fact, in the marks of the balls 
fired from the boats upon the savages. The 
pilgrims gathered round the old man, and drew 
from him all the particulars he had to relate re- 
specting this memorable event ; while the honest 
captain stood by and bit his nails with impa- 
tience. To add to his vexation, they employed 
themselves in knocking off pieces of the rocks, 
and cutting off the bark of the trees marked by 
the balls, which they conveyed back to the ship 
as precious relics. 

Right glad, therefore, was he to get them and 
their treasures fairly on board, when he made 
sail from this unprofitable place, and steered for 
the Bay of Tocaigh, the residence of the chief 
or governor of the island, where he hoped to be 



70 ASTORIA. 

more successful in obtaining supplies. On com- 
ing to anchor the captain went on shore, accom- 
panied by Mr. M'Dougal and Mr. M'Kay, and 
paid a visit to the governor. This dignitary 
proved to be an old sailor, by the name of John 
Young; who, after being tossed about the seas 
like another Sindbad, had, by one of the whimsi- 
cal freaks of fortune, been elevated to the gov- 
ernment of a savage island. He received his 
visitors with more hearty familiarity than per- 
sonages in his high station are apt to indulge, 
but soon gave them to understand that provi- 
sions were scanty at Tocaigh, and that there was 
no good water, no rain having fallen in the neigh- 
borhood in three years. 

The captain was immediately for breaking up 
the conference and departing, but the partners 
were not so willing to part with the nautical 
governor, who seemed disposed to be extremely 
communicative, and from whom they might be 
able to procure some useful information. A long 
conversation accordingly ensued, in the course of 
which they made many inquiries about the af- 
fairs of the islands, their natural productions, and 
the possibility of turning them to advantage in the 
way of trade ; nor did they fail to inquire into 
the individual history of John Young, and how 
he came to be governor. This he gave with great 
condescension, running through the whole course 
of his fortunes " even from his boyish days." 

He was a native of Liverpool, in England, 
and had followed the sea from boyhood, until, by 
dint of good conduct, he had risen so far in 



STORY OF THE GOVERNOR. 71 

his profession as to be boatswain of an Amer- 
ican ship called the Eleanor, commanded by Cap- 
tain Metcalf. In this vessel he had sailed in 1789, 
on one of those casual expeditions to the north- 
west coast, in quest of furs. In the course of 
the voyage, the captain left a small schooner, 
named the Fair American, at Nootka, with a 
crew of five men, commanded by his son, a youth 
of eighteen. She was to follow on in the track 
of the Eleanor. 

In February, 1790, Captain Metcalf touched 
at the island of Mowee, one of the Sandwich 
group. While anchored here, a boat which was 
astern of the Eleanor was stolen, and a seaman 
who was in it was killed. The natives, gener- 
ally, disclaimed the outrage, and brought the 
shattered remains of the boat and the dead body 
of the seaman to the ship. Supposing that they 
had thus appeased the anger of the captain, they 
thronged, as usual, in great numbers about the 
vessel, to trade. Captain Metcalf, however, de- 
termined on a bloody revenge. The Eleanor 
mounted ten guns. All these he ordered to be 
loaded with musket-balls, nails, and pieces of old 
iron, and then fired them, and the small arras of 
the ship, among the natives. The havoc was 
dreadful; more than a hundred, according to 
Young's account, were slain. 

After this signal act of vengeance. Captain 
Metcalf sailed from Mowee, and made for the 
island of Owyhee, where he was well received 
by Tamaahmaah. The fortunes of this warlike 
chief were at that time on the rise. He had 



72 ASTORIA. 

originally been of inferior rank, ruling over only- 
one or two districts of Owyhee, but had grad- 
ually made himself sovereign of his native island. 

The Eleanor remained some few days at an- 
chor here, and an apparently friendly intercourse 
was kept up with the inhabitants. On the 17th 
March, John Young obtained permission to pass 
the night on shore. On the following morning 
a signal-gun summoned him to return on board. 

He went to the shore to embark, but found 
all the canoes hauled up on the beach and rig- 
orously tabooed, or interdicted. He would have 
launched one himself, but was informed by Ta- 
maahmaah that if he presumed to do so he would 
be put to death. 

Young was obliged to submit, and remained 
all day in great perplexity to account for this 
mysterious taboo, and fearful that some hostility 
was intended. In the evening he learned the 
cause of it, and his uneasiness was increased. 
It appeared that the vindictive act of Captain 
Metcalf had recoiled upon his own head. The 
schooner Fair American, commanded by his son, 
following in his track, had fallen into the hands 
of the natives to the southward of Tocaigh Bay, 
and young Metcalf and four of the crew had 
been massacred. 

On receiving intelligence of this event, Ta- 
maahmaah had immediately tabooed all the ca- 
noes, and interdicted all intercourse with the 
ship, lest the captain should learn the fate of 
the schooner, and take his revenge upon the isl- 
and. For the same reason he prevented Young 



PROMOTION IN SAVAGE LIFE. 73 

from rejoining his countrymen. The Eleanor 
continued to fire signals from time to time for 
two days, and then sailed; concluding, no doubt, 
that the boatswain had deserted. 

John Young was in despair when he saw the 
ship make sail, and found himself abandoned 
among savages ; — and savages, too, sanguinary 
in their character, and inflamed by acts of hos- 
tility. He was agreeably disappointed, however, 
in experiencing nothing but kind treatment from 
Tamaahmaah and his people. It is true, he was 
narrowly watched whenever a vessel came in 
sight, lest he should escape and relate what had 
passed ; but at other times he was treated with 
entire confidence and great distinction. He be- 
came a prime favorite, cabinet counsellor, and 
active coadjutor of Tamaahmaah, attending him 
in all his excursions, whether of business or 
pleasure, and aiding in his warlike and ambitious 
enterprises. By degrees he rose to the rank of a 
chief, espoused one of the beauties of the island, 
and became habituated and reconciled to his new 
way of life ; thinking it better, perhaps, to rule 
among savages than serve among white men ; to 
be a feathered chief than a tarpaulin boatswain. 
His favor with Tamaahmaah never declined ; 
and when that sagacious, intrepid, and aspiring 
chieftain had made himself sovereign over the 
whole group of islands, and removed his resi- 
dence to Woahoo, he left his faithful adherent 
John Young in command of Owyhee. 

Such is an outline of the history of Governor 
Young, as furnished by himself; and we regret 



74 ASTORIA. 

that we are not able to give any account of the 
state maintained by this seafaring worthy, and 
the manner in which he discharged his high 
functions ; though it is evident he had more of 
the hearty familiarity of the forecastle than the 
dignity of the gubernatorial office. 

These long conferences were bitter trials to the 
patience of the captain, who had no respect either 
for the governor or his island, and was anxious to 
push on in quest of provisions and water. As 
soon as he could get his inquisitive partners once 
more on board, he weighed anchor, and made 
sail for the island of Woahoo, the royal resi- 
dence of Tamaahmaah. 

This is the most beautiful island of the Sand- 
wich group. It is forty-six miles in length and 
twenty-three in breadth. A ridge of volcanic 
mountains extends through the centre, rising into 
lofty peaks, and skirted by undulating hills and 
rich plains, where the cabins of the natives peep 
out from beneath groves of cocoanut and other 
luxuriant trees. 

On the 21st of February the Tonquin cast 
anchor in the beautiful bay before the village of 
Waititi, (pronounced Whyteetee,) the abode of 
Tamaahmaah. This village contained about two 
hundred habitations, composed of poles set in the 
ground, tied together at the ends, and thatched 
with grass, and was situated in an open grove of 
cocoanuts. The royal palace of Tamaahmaah 
was a large house of two stories ; the lower of 
stone, the upper of wood. Round this his body- 
guard kept watch, composed of twenty-four men, 



A ROYAL VISIT. 75 

in long blue cassocks turned up with yellow, and 
each armed with a musket. 

While at anchor at this place, much ceremo- 
nious visiting and long conferences took place 
between the potentate of the islands and the part- 
ners of the company. Tamaahmaah came on 
board of the ship in royal style, in his double 
pirogue. He was between fifty and sixty years 
of age, above the middle size, large and well 
made, though somewhat corpulent. He was 
dressed in an old suit of regimentals, with a 
sword by his side, and seemed somewhat embar- 
rassed by his magnificent attire. Three of his 
wives accompanied him. They were almost as 
tall, and quite as corpulent as himself; but by no 
means to be compared with him in grandeur of 
habiliments, wearing no other garb than the pau. 
With him, also, came his great favorite and confi- 
dential counsellor, Kraimaker ; who, from holding 
a post equivalent to that of prime minister, had 
been familiarly named Billy Pitt by the British 
visitors to the islands. 

The sovereign was received with befitting 
ceremonial. The American flag was displayed, 
four guns were fired, and the partners appeared 
in scarlet coats, and conducted their illustrious 
guests to the cabin, where they were regaled 
with wine. In this interview the partners en- 
deavored to impress the monarch with a sense of 
their importance, and of the importance of the 
association to which they belonged. They let 
him know that they were eris, or chiefs, of a 
great company about to be established on the 



76 ASTORIA. 

northwest coast, and talked of the probability of 
opening a trade with his islands, and of sending 
ships there occasionally. All this was gratifying 
and interesting to him, for he was aware of the 
advantages of trade, and desirous of promoting 
frequent intercourse with white men. He en- 
couraged Europeans and Americans to settle in 
his islands and intermarry with his subjects. 
There were between twenty and thirty white 
men at that time resident in the island, but many 
of them were mere vagabonds, who remained 
there in hopes of leading a lazy and an easy life. 
For such Tamaahmaah had a great contempt ; 
those only had his esteem and countenance who 
knew some trade or mechanic art, and were sober 
and industrious. 

On the day subsequent to the monarch's visit, the 
partners landed and waited upon him in return. 
Knowing the effect of show and dress upon men 
in savage life, and wishing to make a favorable 
impression as the ens, or chiefs, of the great 
American Fur Company, some of them appeared 
in Highland plaids and kilts, to the great admi- 
ration of the natives. 

While visits of ceremony and grand diplomatic 
conferences were going on between the partners 
and the king, the captain, in his plain, matter-of- 
fact way, was pushing what he considered a far 
more important negotiation ; the purchase of 
a supply of hogs. He found that the king had 
profited in more ways than one by his intercourse 
with white men. Above all other arts he had 
learned the art of driving a bargain. He was a 



TAMAAH3IAAH AS A TRADER. 77 

magnanimous monarch, but a shrewd pork mer- 
chant ; and perhaps thought he could not do 
better with his future allies, the American Fur 
Company, than to begin by close dealing. Sev- 
eral interviews were requisite, and much bargain- 
ing, before he could be brought to part with a 
bristle of his bacon, and then he insisted upon 
being paid in hard Spanish dollars ; giving as a 
reason that he wanted money to purchase a 
frigate from his brother George, as he affection- 
ately termed the king of England.^ 

At length the royal bargain was concluded ; 
the necessary supply of hogs obtained, beside sev- 

1 It appears, from the accounts of subsequent voyagers, 
that Tamaahmaah afterwards succeeded in his wish of pur- 
chasing a large ship. In this he sent a cargo of sandal-wood 
to Canton, having discovered that the foreign merchants 
trading with him made large profits on this wood, shipped by 
them from the islands to the Chinese markets. The ship was 
manned by natives, but the officers were Englishmen. She 
accomplished her voyage, and returned in safety to the 
islands, with the Hawaiian flag floating gloriously in the 
breeze. The king hastened on board, expecting to find his 
sandal-wood converted into crapes and damasks, and other 
rich stuflfs of China, but found, to his astonishment, by the 
legerdemain of traffic, his cargo had all disappeared, and, in 
place of it, remained a bill of charges amounting to three 
thousand dollars. It was some time before he could be made 
to comprehend certain of the most important items of the 
bill, such as pilotage, anchorage, and custom-house fees; but 
when he discovered that maritime states in other countries 
derived large revenues in this manner, to the great cost 
of the merchant, "Well," cried he, "then I will have har- 
bor fees also." He established them accordingly. Pilotage 
a dollar a foot on the draft of each vessel. Anchorage from 
sixty to seventy dollars. In this way he greatly increased 
the royal revenue, and turned his China speculation to 
account. 



78 ASTORIA. 

eral goats, two sheep, a quantity of poultry, and 
vegetables in abundance. The partners now 
urged to recruit tlieir forces from the natives of 
this island. They declared they had never seen 
watermen equal to them, even among the voy- 
ageurs of the Nortliwest ; and, indeed, they are 
remarkable for their skill in managing their light 
craft, and can swim and dive like waterfowl. The 
partners were inclined, therefore, to take thirty 
or forty with them to the Columbia, to be em- 
ployed in the service of the company. The cap- 
tain, however, objected that there was not room 
in his vessel for the accommodation of such a 
number. Twelve, only, were therefore enlisted 
for the company, and as many more for the ser- 
vice of the ship. The former engaged to serve 
for the term of three years, during which they 
were to be fed and clothed ; and at the expira- 
tion of the time were to receive one hundred 
dollars in merchandise. 

And now, having embarked his live-stock, 
fruits, vegetables, and water, the captain made 
ready to set sail. How much the honest man 
had suffered in spirit by what he considered the 
freaks and vagaries of his passengers, and how 
little he had understood their humors and inten- 
tions, is amusingly shown in a letter written to 
Mr. Astor from Woahoo, which contains his 
comments on the scenes we have described. 

" It would be difficult," he writes, " to imagine 
the frantic gambols that are daily played off here; 
sometimes dressing in red coats, and otherwise 
very fantastically, and collecting a number of ig- 



COMMENTS OF A MATTER-OF-FACT-MAN. 79 

norant natives around them, telling them that 
they are the great eares of the Northwest, and 
making arrangements for sending three or four 
vessels yearly to them from the coast with spars, 
&c. ; while those very natives cannot even fur- 
nish a hog to the ship. Then dressing in High- 
land plaids and kilts, and making similar arrange- 
ments, with presents of rum, wine, or anything 
that is at hand. Then taking a number of clerks 
and men on shore to the very spot on which Cap- 
tain Cook was killed, and each fetching off a 
piece of the rock or tree that was touched by the 
shot. Then sitting down with some white man 
or some native who can be a little understood, 
and collecting the history of those islands, of 
Tamaahmiah's wars, the curiosities of the isl- 
ands, &c., preparatory to the histories of their 
voyages ; and the collection is indeed ridiculously 
contemptible. To enumerate the thousand in- 
stances of ignorance, filth, &c., or to particularize 
all the frantic gambols that are daily practiced, 
would require volumes." 

Before embarking, the great eris of the Ameri- 
can Fur Company took leave of their illustrious 
ally in due style, with many professions of lasting 
friendship and promises of future intercourse ; 
while the matter-of-fact captain anathematized 
him in his heart for a grasping, trafficking savage ; 
as shrewd and sordid in his dealings as a white 
man. As one of the vessels of the company will, 
in the course of events, have to appeal to the 
justice and magnanimity of this island potentate, 
we shall see how far the honest captain was 
right in his opinion. 




CHAPTER YIL 

JT was on the 28 th of February that the 
Tonqum set sail from the Sandwich Isl- 
ands. For two days the wmd was con- 
trary, and the vessel was detained in their neighbor- 
hood ; at length a favorable breeze sprang up, and 
in a little while the rich groves, green hills, and 
snowy peaks of those happy islands one after an- 
other sank from sight, or melted into the blue 
distance, and the Tonquin ploughed her course 
towards the sterner regions of the Pacific. 

The misunderstandings between the captain and 
his passengers still continued ; or rather, increased 
in gravity. By his altercations and his moody 
humors, he had cut himself off from all community 
of thought, or freedom of conversation with them. 
He disdained to ask any questions as to their pro- 
ceedings, and could only guess at the meaning of 
their movements, and in so doing indulged in con- 
jectures and suspicions, which produced the most 
whimsical self-torment. 

Thus, in one of his disputes with them, relative 
to the goods on board, some of the packages of 
which they wished to open, to take out articles 
of clothing for the men or presents for the natives, 
he was so harsh and peremptory that they lost all 
patience, and hinted that they were the strongest 



SUSPICIONS OF THE CAPTAIN. 81 

party, and might reduce him to a very ridiculous 
dilemma, by taking from him the command. 

A thought now flashed across the captain's mind 
that they really had a design to depose him, and 
that, having picked up some information at Owy- 
hee, possibly of war between the United States 
and England, they meant to alter the destination 
of the voyage ; perhaps to seize upon ship and 
cargo for their own use. 

Once having conceived this suspicion, every- 
thing went to foster it. They had distributed 
fire-arms among some of their men, a common 
precaution among the fur traders when mingling 
with the natives. Tliis, however, looked like prep- 
aration. Then several of the partners and 
clerks and some of the men, being Scotsmen, were 
acquainted with the GaeHc, and held long con- 
versations together in that language. These con- 
versations were considered by the captain of a 
" mysterious and unwarrantable nature," and re- 
lated, no doubt, to some foul consi3iracy that was 
brewing among them. He frankly avows such 
suspicions, in his letter to Mr. Astor, but in- 
timates that he stood ready to resist any treasonous 
outbreak ; and seems to think that the evidence 
of preparation on his part had an effect in over- 
awing the conspirators. 

The fact is, as we have since been informed by 
one of the parties, it was a mischievous pleasure 
with some of the partners and clerks, who were 
young men, to play upon the suspicious temper 
and splenetic humors of the captain. To this we 
may ascribe many of their whimsical pranks and 



82 ASTORIA. 

absurd propositions, and, above all, their myste- 
rious colloquies in Gaelic. 

In this sore and irritable mood did the captain 
pursue his course, keej^ing a wary eye on every 
movement, and bristling up whenever the detested 
sound of the Gaelic language grated upon his ear. 
Nothing occurred, however, materially to disturb 
the residue of the voyage excepting a violent 
storm; and on the twenty-second of March, the 
Tonquin arrived at the mouth of the Oregon, or 
Columbia River. 

The aspect of the river and the adjacent coast 
was wild and dangerous. The mouth of the Co- 
lumbia is upwards of four miles wide with a pen- 
insula and promontory on one side, and a long 
low spit of land on the other ; between which a 
sand bar and chain of breakers almost block up 
the entrance. The interior of the country rises 
into successive ranges of mountains, which, at the 
time of the arrival of the Tonqum, were covered 
with snow. 

A fresh wind from the northwest sent a rough 
tumbling sea upon the coast, which broke upon 
the bar in furious surges, and extended a sheet of 
foam almost across the mouth of the river. Under 
these circumstances the captain did not tliink it 
prudent to approach within three leagues, until 
the bar shoukl be sounded and the channel as- 
certained. Mr. Fox, the chief mate, was ordered 
to this service in the whaleboat, accompanied by 
John Martin, an old seaman, who had formerly 
visited the river, and by three Canadians. Fox 
requested to have regular sailors to man the boat. 



BARS AND BREAKERS. 83 

but the captain would not spare them from the 
service of the ship, and supposed the Canadians, 
being expert boatmen on lakes and rivers, were 
competent to the service, especially when directed 
and aided by Fox and Martin. Fox seems to 
have lost all firmness of spirit on the occasion, and 
to have regarded the service with a misgiving 
heart. He came to the partners for sympathy, 
knowing their differences with the cajDtain, and 
the tears were in his eyes as he represented his 
case. " I am sent off," said he, " without seamen 
to man my boat, in boisterous weather, and on the 
most dangerous part of the northwest coast. My 
uncle was lost a few years ago on tliis same bar, 
and I am now going to lay my bones alongside 
of his." The partners sympathized in his ap- 
prehensions, and remonstrated with the captain. 
The latter, however, was not to be moved. He 
had been displeased with Mr. Fox in the earlier 
part of the voyage, considering him indolent and 
inactive ; and probably thought his present re- 
pugnance arose from a want of true nautical sjDirit. 
The interference of the partners in the business 
of the shij), also, was not calculated to have a 
favorable effect on a stickler for authority like 
himself, especially in his actual state of feeling 
towards them. 

At one o'clock, p. m., therefore, Fox and his 
comrades set off in the whaleboat, which is re- 
presented as small in size, and crazy in condition. 
All eyes were strained after the little bark as it 
pulled for shore, rising and sinking with the huge 
rolling waves, until it entered, a mere speck, among 



84 ASTORIA. 

the foaming breakers, and was soon lost to view. 
Evening set in, night succeeded and passed away, 
and morning returned, but without the return of 
the boat. 

As the wind had moderated, the ship stood 
near to the land, so as to command a view of the 
river's mouth. Nothing was to be seen but a 
wild chaos of tumbling waves breaking upon the 
bar, and apparently forming a foaming barrier 
from shore to shore. Towards night the ship 
again stood out to gain sea-room, and a gloom was 
visible in every countenance. The captain him- 
self shared in the general anxiety, and probably 
repented of his peremptory orders. Another 
weary and watchful night succeeded, during which 
the wind subsided, and the weather became serene. 

On the following day, the ship having drifted 
near the land, anchored in fourteen fathoms water, 
to the northward of the long peninsula or prom- 
ontory wliich forms the north side of the en- 
trance, and is called Cape Disappointment. The 
pinnace was then manned, and two of the partners, 
Ml'. David Stuart and Mr. M'Kay, set off in the 
hope of learning something of the fate of the 
whaleboat. The surf, however, broke with such 
violence along the shore that they could find no 
landing place. Several of the natives appeared 
on the beach and made signs to them to row round 
the cape, but they thought it most prudent to re- 
turn to the ship. 

The wind now springing up, the Tonquin got 
under way, and stood in to seek the channel ; but 
was again deterred by the frightful aspect of the 



PERILOUS SERVICE. 85 

breakers, from, venturing within a league. Here 
she hove to ; and Mr. Mumford, the second 
mate, was dispatched with four hands, in the pin- 
nace, to sound across the channel until he should 
find four fathoms depth. The pinnace entered 
among the breakers, but was near being lost, and 
with difficulty got back to the ship. The captain 
insisted that Mr. Mumford had steered too much 
to the southward. He now turned to Mr. Aiken, 
an able mariner, destined to command the schooner 
intended for the coasting trade, and ordered him, 
together with John Coles, sail-maker, Stephen 
Weekes, armorer, and two Sandwich Islanders, to 
proceed ahead and take soundings, while the ship 
should follow under easy sail. In this way they 
proceeded until Aiken had ascertained the channel, 
when signal was given from the ship for him to 
return on board. He was then within pistol shot, 
but so furious was the current, and tumultuous 
the breakers, that the boat became unmanageable, 
and was hurried away, the crew crying out pite- 
ously for assistance. In a few moments she could 
not be seen from the ship's deck. Some of the 
passengers climbed to the mizzen top, and beheld 
her still struggling to reach the ship ; but shortly 
after she broached broadside to the waves, and her 
case seemed desperate. The attention of those 
on board of the sliip was now called to their own 
safety. They were in shallow water ; the vessel 
struck repeatedly, the waves broke over her, and 
there was danger of her foundering. At length 
she got into seven fathoms water, and the wind 
lulling, and the night coming on, cast anchor. 



86 ASTORIA. 

With the darkness their anxieties increased. The 
wind wliistled, the sea roared, the gloom was only 
broken by the ghastly glare of the foaming breakers, 
the minds of the seamen were full of dreary ap- 
prehensions, and some of them fancied they heard 
the cries of their lost comrades mingling with the 
uproar of the elements. For a time, too, the 
rapidly ebbing tide threatened to sweep them from 
their precarious anchorage. At length the reflux 
of the tide, and the springing up of the wind, en- 
abled them to quit their dangerous situation and 
take shelter m a small bay within Cape Dis- 
appointment, where they rode in safety during 
the residue of a stormy night, and enjoyed a brief 
interval of refreshing sleep. 

With the light of day returned their cares and 
anxieties. They looked out from the mast-head 
over a wild coast, and wilder sea, but could dis- 
cover no trace of the two boats and their crews 
that were missing. Several of the natives came 
on board with peltries, but there was no disposition 
to trade. They were interrogated by signs after 
the lost boats, but could not understand the in- 
quiries. 

Parties now went on shore and scoured the 
neighborhood. One of these was headed by the 
captain. They had not proceeded far when they 
beheld a person at a distance in civilized garb. 
As he drew near he proved to be Weekes, the 
armorer. There was a burst of joy, for it was 
hoped his comrades were near at hand. His story, 
however, was one of disaster. He and his com- 
panions had found it imjDOSsible to govern their 



WEEKES THE ARMORER. 87 

boat, having no rudder, and being beset by rapid 
and whirling currents and boisterous surges. After 
long struggling they had let her go at the mercy 
of the waves, tossing about, sometimes with her 
bow, sometimes with her broadside to the surges, 
threatened each instant with destruction, yet re- 
peatedly escaping, until a huge sea broke over and 
swamped her. Weekes was overwhelmed by the 
boiling waves, but emerging above the surface, 
looked round for his companions. Aiken and 
Coles were not to be seen ; near him were the 
two Sandwich Islanders, stripping themselves of 
their clothmg that they might swim more freely. 
He did the same, and the boat floating near to 
him he seized hold of it. The two islanders 
joined him, and, uniting their forces, they succeeded 
in turning the boat ujDon her keel ; then bearing 
down her stern and rocking her, they forced out 
so much water that she was able to bear the weight 
of a man without sinking. One of the islanders 
now got in, and in a little while bailed out the 
water with his hands. The other swam about 
and collected the oars, and they all three got once 
more on board. 

By this time the tide had swept them beyond 
the breakers, and Weekes called on his compan- 
ions to row for land. They were so chilled and 
benumbed by the cold, however, that they lost 
all heart, and absolutely refused. Weekes was 
equally cliilled, but had superior sagacity and self- 
command. He counteracted the tendency to 
drowsiness and stupor which cold produces by 
keeping himself in constant exercise ; and seeing 



88 ASTORIA. 

that the vessel was advancing, and that every 
thing depended upon himself, he set to work to 
scull the boat clear of the bar, and into quiet 
water. 

Towards midnight one of the poor islanders 
expired : his companion threw himself on his corpse 
and could not be persuaded to leave him. The 
dismal night wore away amidst these horrors : as 
the day dawned, Weekes found himself near the 
land. He steered directly for it, and at length, 
with the aid of the surf, ran his boat high upon 
a sandy beach. 

Finding that one of the Sandwich Islanders yet 
gave signs of life, he aided him to leave the boat, 
and set out with him towards the adjacent woods. 
The poor fellow, however, was too feeble to follow 
him, and Weekes was soon obliged to abandon 
him to his fate and provide for his own safety. 
Falling upon a beaten path, he pursued it, and 
after a few hours came to a part of the coast, 
where, to his surprise and joy, he beheld the ship 
at anchor arid was met by the captain and his 
party. 

After Weekes had related his adventures, three 
parties were dispatched to beat up the coast in 
search of the unfortunate islander. They re- 
turned at night without success, though they had 
used the utmost diligence. On the following day 
the search was resumed, and the poor fellow was 
at length discovered lying beneath a group of 
rocks, his legs swollen, his feet torn and bloody 
from walking through bushes and briers, and him- 
self half-dead with cold, hunger, and fatigue. 



SANDWICH ISLANDER'S BURIAL. 89 

Weekes and this islander were the only survivors 
of the crew of the jolly-boat, and no trace was 
ever discovered of Fox and his party. Thus 
eight men were lost on the first approach to the 
coast ; a commencement that cast a gloom over 
the spmts of the whole party, and was regarded 
by some of the suiDcrstitious as an omen that 
boded no good to the enterprise. 

Towards night the Sandwich Islanders went on 
shore, to bury the body of their unfortunate 
countryman who had perished in the boat. On 
arriving at the place where it had been left, they 
dug a grave in the sand, in which they deposited 
the corpse, with a biscuit under one of the arms, 
some lard under the chin, and a small quantity of 
tobacco, as provisions for its journey in the land 
of spirits. Having covered the body with sand and 
flints, they kneeled along the grave in a double 
row, with their faces turned to the east, while 
one who officiated as a priest sprinkled them with 
water from a hat. In so doing he recited a kind 
of prayer or invocation, to wliich, at intervals, 
the others made responses. Such were the simple 
rites performed by these poor savages at the grave 
of their comrade on the shores of a str-ange land ; 
and when these were done, they rose and returned 
in silence to the ship, without once casting a look 
behind. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

HE Columbia, or Oregon, for the distance 
of thirty or forty miles from its entrance 
into the sea, is, properly speaking, a mere 
estuary, indented by deep bays so as to vary from 
three to seven miles in width ; and is rendered 
extremely intricate and dangerous by shoals reach- 
ing nearly from shore to shore, on which, at times, 
the winds and currents produce foaming and 
tumultuous breakers. The mouth of the river 
proper is but about half a mile wide, formed by 
the contracting shores of the estuary. The en- 
trance from the sea, as we have already observed, 
is bounded on the south side by a flat sandy spit 
of land, stretching into the ocean. This is com- 
monly called Point Adams. The opposite, or 
northern side, is Cape Disappointment ; a kind of 
23eninsula, terminating in a steep knoll or pro- 
montory crowned with a forest of pine-trees, and 
connected with the main-land by a low and narrow 
neck. Immediately within this cape is a wide, 
open bay, terminating at Chinook Point, so called 
from a neighboring tribe of Indians. This was 
called Baker's Bay, and here the Tonquin was 
anchored. 

The natives inhabiting the lower part of the 
river, and with whom the company was likely to 



HUNTING AND FISHING INDIANS. 91 

have the most frequent intercourse, were divided 
at this time into four tribes, the Chmooks, Clatsops, 
Wahkiacums, and Cathlamahs. They resembled 
each other in person, dress, language, and manner ; 
and were probably from the same stock, but broken 
into tribes, or rather hordes, by those feuds and 
schisms frequent among Indians. 

These jDcople generally live by fishing. It is 
true they occasionally hunt the elk and deer, and 
ensnare the water-fowl of their ponds and rivers, 
but these are casual luxuries. Their chief sub- 
sistence is derived from the salmon and other fish 
which abound in the Columbia and its tributary 
streams, aided by roots and herbs, especially the 
wappatoo, wliich is found on the islands of the 
river. 

As the Indians of the plains who depend upon 
the chase are bold and expert riders, and pride 
themselves upon their horses, so these piscatory 
tribes of the coast excel in the management of 
canoes, and are never more at home than when 
riding upon the waves. Their canoes vary in 
form and size. Some are upwards of fifty feet 
long, cut out of a single tree, either fir or white 
cedar, and capable of carrying thirty persons. 
They have thwart pieces from side to side about 
three mches tliick, and their gunwales flare out- 
wards, so as to cast off the surges of the waves. 
The bow and stern are decorated with grotesque 
figures of men and animals, sometimes five feet 
in height. 

In managing their canoes they kneel two and 
two along the bottom, sitting on their heels, and 



92 ASTORIA. 

wielding paddles from four to five feet long, while 
one sits on the stern and steers with a paddle of 
the same kind. The women are equally expert 
with the men in managing the canoe, and gener- 
ally take the helm. 

It is surprising to see with what fearless un- 
concern these savages venture in their light barks 
upon the roughest and most tempestuous seas. 
They seem to ride upon the waves like sea-fowl. 
Should a surge thi'ow the canoe upon its side and 
endanger its overturn, those to windward lean 
over the upper gunwale, thrust their paddles deep 
into the wave, apparently catch the water and 
force it under the canoe, and by this action not 
merely regain an equilibrium, but give their bark 
a vigorous impulse forward. 

The effect of different modes of life uj^on the 
human frame and human character is strikingly 
instanced in the contrast between the hunting In- 
dians of the prairies, and the piscatory Indians of 
the sea-coast. The former, continually on horse- 
back scouring the plains, gaining their food by 
hardy exercise, and subsisting chiefly on flesh, are 
generally tall, sinewy, meagre, but well formed, 
and of bold and fierce deportment : the latter, 
lounging about the river banks, or squatting and 
curved up in their canoes, are generally low in 
stature, ill-shaped, with crooked legs, thick ankles, 
and broad flat feet. They are inferior also in 
muscular j^ower and activity, and in ga??ie qual- 
ities and appearance, to their hard- riding brethren 
of the prairies. 

Having premised these few particulars concern- 



CAPTAIN'S IMPATIENCE. 93 

ing the neighboring Indians, we will return to the 
immediate concerns of the Tonquin and her crew. 

Further search was made for Mr. Fox and his 
party, but with no better success, and they were 
at length given up as lost. In the meantime, the 
captain and some of the partners exj^lored the 
river for some distance in a large boat, to select 
a suitable place for the trading post. Their 
old jealousies and differences continued ; they 
never could coincide in their choice, and the cap- 
tain objected altogether to any site so high up the 
river. They all returned, therefore, to Baker's 
Bay in no very good humor. The partners pro- 
posed to examine the opposite shore, but the cap- 
tain was impatient of any further delay. His 
eagerness to "get on" had increased upon him. 
He thought all these excursions a sheer loss of 
time, and was resolved to land at once, build a 
shelter for the reception of that part of his cargo 
destined for the use of the settlement, and, having 
cleared his ship of it and of his irksome shipmates, 
to depart upon the prosecution of his coasting 
voyage, according to orders. 

On the following day, therefore, without troub- 
ling himself to consult the partners, he landed 
in Baker's Bay, and proceeded to erect a shed for 
the reception of the rigging, equipments, and 
stores of the schooner that was to be built for the 
use of the settlement. 

This dogged determination on the part of the 
sturdy captain gave high offense to Mr. M'Dougal, 
who now considered himself at the head of the 
concern, as Mr. Astor's representative and proxy. 



94 ASTORIA. 

He set off the same day, (April 5tli,) accompanied 
by Mr. David Stuart, for the southern shore, in- 
tending to be back by the seventh. Not having 
the cai3tain to contend with, they soon pitched 
upon a spot which appeared to them favorable for 
the intended establishment. It was on a point 
of land called Point George, having a very good 
harbor, where vessels, not exceeding two hundred 
tons burden, might anchor within fifty yards of 
the shore. 

After a day thus profitably spent, they re- 
crossed the river, but landed on the northern shore 
several miles above the anchoring ground of the 
Tonquin, in the neighborhood of Chinook, and 
visited the village of that tribe. Here they 
were received with great hospitality by the chief, 
who was named Comcomly, a shrewd old savage, 
with but one eye, who will occasionally figure in 
this narrative. Each village forms a petty sover- 
eignty, governed by its own chief, who, however, 
possesses but little authority, unless he be a man 
of wealth and substance ; that is to say, possessed 
of canoes, slaves, and wives. The greater number 
of these, the greater is the chief. How many 
wives this one-eyed potentate maintained we are 
not told, but he certainly possessed great sway, 
not merely over his own tribe, but over the 
neighborhood. 

Having mentioned slaves, we would observe 
that slavery exists among several of the tribes 
beyond the Rocky Mountains. The slaves are 
well treated while in good health, but occupied 
in all kinds of drudgery. Should they become 



AN ARISTOCRACY OF FLAT HE ADS. 95 

useless, however, by sickness or old age, they are 
totally neglected, and left to perish; nor is any 
resj^ect j^aid to their bodies after death. 

A singular custom prevails, not merely among 
the Chinooks, but among most of the tribes about 
this part of the coast, which is the flattening of 
the forehead. The process by which this deformity 
is effected commences immediately after birth. 
The infant is laid in a wooden trough, by way of 
cradle. The end on wliich the head reposes is 
higher than the rest. A padding is placed on the 
forehead of the infant, with a piece of bark above 
it, and is pressed down by cords, which pass 
throuo^h holes on each side of the trouo;h. As 
the tightening of the padding and the pressing of 
the head to the board is gradual, the process is 
said not to be attended with much pain. The ap- 
pearance of the infant, however, wliile in this 
state of compression, is whimsically hideous, and 
" its little black eyes," we are told, " being forced 
out by the tightness of the bandages, resemble 
those of a mouse choked in a trap." 

About a year's pressure is sufficient to produce 
the desired effect, at the end of wliich time the 
child emerges from its bandages a complete flat- 
head, and continues so through life. It must be 
noted, however, that this flattening of the head 
has something in it of aristocratical significancy, 
like the crippling of the feet among the Chinese 
ladies of quality. At any rate, it is a sign of 
freedom. No slave is permitted to bestow this 
enviable deformity upon his child ; all the slaves, 
therefore, are roundheads. 



96 ASTORIA. 

With this worthy tribe of Chinooks the two 
l^artners passed a part of the day very agreeably. 
M' Dougal, who was somewhat vain of his official 
rank, had given it to be understood that they 
were two chiefs of a great trading company, about 
to be established here, and the quicksighted, 
though one-eyed chief, who was somewhat prac- 
ticed in traffic with white men, immediately per- 
ceived the policy of cultivating the friendship of 
two such important visitors. He regaled them, 
therefore, to the best of his ability, with abun- 
dance of salmon and wappatoo. The next 
morning, April 7th, they prepared to return to 
the vessel, according to promise. They had 
eleven miles of open bay to traverse; the wind 
was fresh, the waves ran high. Comcomly re- 
monstrated with them on the hazard to which 
they would be exposed. They were resolute, 
however, and launched their boat, while the wary 
chieftain followed at some short distance in his 
canoe. Scarce had they rowed a mile, when a 
wave broke over their boat and upset it. They 
were in imminent peril of drowning, especially 
Mr. M'Dougal, who could not swim. Comcomly, 
however, came bounding over the waves in his 
light canoe, and snatched the^p from a watery 
grave. 

They were taken on shore and a fire made, at 
which they dried their clothes, after which Com- 
comly conducted them back to his village. Here 
everything was done that could be devised for 
their entertainment during three days that they 
were detained by bad weather. Comcomly made 



HOSPITALITY OF COMCOMLY. 97 

his people perform antics before them ; and his 
wives and daughters endeavored, by all the 
soothing and endearing arts of women, to find 
favor in their eyes. Some even painted their 
bodies with red clay, and anointed themselves 
with fish oil, to give additional lustre to their 
charms. Mr. M'Dougal seems to have had a 
heart susceptible to the influence of the gentler 
sex. Whether or no it was first touched on tliis 
occasion we do not learn ; but it will be found, 
in the course of this work, that one of the 
daughters of the hospitable Comcomly eventually 
made a conquest of the great eri of the American 
Fur Company. 

Wlien the weather had moderated and the sea 
become tranquil, the one-eyed chief of the 
Chinooks manned his state canoe, and conducted 
his guests in safety to the ship, where they were 
welcomed with joy, for apprehensions had been 
felt for their safety. Comcomly and his people 
were then entertained on board of the Tonquin, 
and liberally rewarded for their hospitality and 
services. They returned home highly satisfied, 
promising to remain faithful friends and allies of 
the white men. 




CHAPTER IX. 




ROM the report made by the two ex- 
ploring partners, it was determined that 
Point George should be the site of the 
trading house. These gentlemen, it is true, were 
not perfectly satisfied with the place, and were 
desirous of continuing their search ; but Captain 
Thorn was impatient to land his cargo and con- 
tinue his voyage, and protested against any more 
of what he termed " sporting excursions." 

Accordingly, on the 12th of April the launch 
was freighted with all things necessary for the 
purpose, and sixteen persons departed in her to 
commence the establishment, leaving the Tonquin 
to follow as soon as the harbor could be sounded. 

Crossing the wide mouth of the river, the party 
landed, and encamped at the bottom of a small 
bay within Point George. The situation chosen 
for the fortified post was on an elevation facing 
to the north, with the wide estuary, its sand bars 
and tumultuous breakers spread out before it, and 
the promontory of Cape Disappointment, fifteen 
miles distant, closing the prospect to the left. 
The surrounding country was in all the freshness 
of spring ; the trees were in the young leaf, the 
weather was superb, and everything looked 
delightful to men just emancipated from a long 



BUILDING ASTORIA. 99 

confinement on shipboard. The Tonqnin shortly 
afterwards made her way through the intricate 
channel, and came to anchor in the little bay, and 
was saluted from the encampment with three 
volleys of musketry and three cheers. She re- 
turned the salute with three cheers and three 
guns. 

All hands now set to work cutting down trees, 
clearing away thickets, and marking out the place 
for the residence, store-house, and powder maga- 
zine, which were to be built of logs and covered 
with bark. Others landed the timbers intended 
for the frame of the coasting vessel, and proceeded 
to put them together, while others prepared a 
garden spot, and sowed the seeds of various 
vegetables. 

The next thought was to give a name to the 
embryo metropolis : the one that naturally pre- 
sented itself was that of the projector and sui>- 
porter of the whole enterprise. It was accord- 
ingly named Astoria. 

The neiofhborinof Indians now swarmed about 
the place. Some brought a few land-otter and 
sea-otter skins to barter, but in very scanty 
parcels ; the greater number came prying about 
to gratify their curiosity, for they are said to be 
impertinently inquisitive ; while not a few came 
with no other design than to pilfer ; the laws of 
meiim and tuum being but slightly respected 
among them. Some of them beset the ship in 
their canoes, among whom was the Chmook 
chief Comcomly, and his liege subjects. These 
were well received by Mr. M'Dougal, who was 



LofC. 



100 ASTORIA. 

delighted with an opportunity of entering upon 
his functions, and acquiring importance in the 
eyes of his future neighbors. The confusion 
thus produced on board, and the derangement of 
the cargo caused by this petty trade, stirred the 
sj)leen of the captain, who had a sovereign con- 
tempt for the one-eyed chieftain and all his crew. 
He complained loudly of having his sliip lum- 
bered by a host of "Indian ragamuffins," who 
had not a skin to dispose of, and at length put 
his positive interdict upon all trafficking on board. 
Upon this Mr. M'Dougal was fain to land, and 
establish his quarters at the encampment, where 
he could exercise his rights and enjoy liis dignities 
without control. 

The feud, however, between these rival powers 
still continued, but was chiefly carried on by 
letter. Day after day and week after week 
elapsed, yet the store-house requisite for the re- 
ception of the cargo were not completed, and the 
ship was detained in port ; while the caiDtain was 
teased by frequent requisitions for various articles 
for the use of the establishment, or the trade with 
the natives. An angry correspondence took 
place, in which he complained bitterly of the 
time wasted in " smoking and sporting parties," 
as he termed the reconnoitring expeditions, and in 
clearing and preparing meadow ground and turnip 
patches, instead of dispatching his ship. At 
length all these jarring matters were adjusted, if 
not to the satisfaction, at least to the acquiescence 
of aU parties. The part of the cargo destined 
for the use of Astoria was landed, and the ship 
left free to proceed on her voyage. 



SAILING OF THE TONQUIN. 101 

As the Tonquin was to coast to the north, to 
trade for peltries at the different harbors, and to 
touch at Astoria on her return in the autumn, it 
was unanimously determined that Mr. M' Kay- 
should go in her as supercargo, taking with him 
Mr. Lewis as ship's clerk. On the first of June 
the ship got under way, and dropped down to 
Baker's Bay, where she was detained for a few 
days by a head wind ; but early in the morning 
of the fifth stood out to sea with a fine breeze 
and swelling canvas, and swept off gaily on her 
fatal voyage, from which she was never to re- 
turn ! 

On reviewing the conduct of Captain Thorn, 
and examining his peevish and somewhat whim- 
sical correspondence, the impression left upon our 
mind is, upon the whole, decidedly in his favor. 
Wliile we smile at the simplicity of his heart and 
the narrowness of his views, which made him 
regard everything out of the direct path of his 
daily duty, and the rigid exigencies of the ser- 
vice, as trivial and impertinent, which inspired 
him with contempt for the swelling vanity of 
some of his coadjutors, and the literaiy exercises 
and curious researches of others, we cannot but 
applaud that strict and conscientious devotion to 
the interests of his employer, and to what he 
considered the true objects of the enterprise in 
which he was engaged. He certainly was to 
blame occasionally for the asperity of his man- 
ners, and the arbitrary nature of his measures, 
yet much that is exceptionable in this part of his 
conduct may be traced to rigid notions of. duty, 



102 ASTORIA. 

acquired in that tyrannical school, a ship of war, 
and to the construction given by his companions 
to the orders of Mr. Astor, so little in conformity 
with his own. His mind, too, appears to have 
become almost diseased by the suspicions he had 
formed as to the loyalty of his associates, and the 
nature of their ultimate designs ; yet on this 
point there were circumstances to, in some mea- 
sure, justify him. The relations between the 
United States and Great Britain were at that 
time in a critical state ; in fact, the two countries 
were on the eve of a war. Several of the part- 
ners were British subjects, and might be ready 
to desert the flag under which they acted, should 
a war take place. Their application to the Brit- 
ish minister at New York shows the dubious 
feeling with which they had embarked in the 
present enterprise. They had been in the em- 
l^loy of the Northwest Company, and might be 
disposed to rally again under that association, 
should events threaten the prosperity of this em- 
bryo establishment of Mr. Astor. Besides, we 
have the fact, averred to us by one of the part- 
ners, that some of them, who were young and 
heedless, took a mischievous and unwarrantable 
pleasure in playing upon the jealous temper of 
the captain, and affecting mysterious consulta- 
tions and sinister movements. 

These circumstances are cited in palliation of 
the doubts and surmises of Captain Thorn, which 
might otherwise appear strange and unreason- 
able. That most of the partners were perfectly 
upright and faithful in the discharge of the trust 



JUSTICE OF CAPTAIN'S SUSPICIONS. 1U3 

reposed in them we are fully satisfied ; still the 
honest captain was not invariably wrong in his 
suspicions ; and that he formed a pretty just 
opinion of the integrity of that aspiring person- 
age, Mr. M'Dougal, will be substantially proved 
in the sequel. 





CHAPTER X. 

HILE the Astorians were busily occu- 
pied in completing their factory and 
fort, a report was brought to them by 
an Indian from the upper part of the river, that 
a party of thirty white men had appeared on the 
banks of the Columbia, and were actually build- 
ing houses at the second rapids. This informa- 
tion caused much disquiet. "We have already 
mentioned that the Northwest Company had 
established posts to the west of the Rocky 
Mountains, in a district called by them New 
Caledonia, which extended from lat. 52° to 55° 
north, being within the British territories. It 
was now apprehended that they were advancing 
within the American limits, and were endeavor- 
ing to seize upon the upper part of the river and 
forestall the American Fur Company in the sur- 
rounding trade ; in which case bloody feuds 
might be anticipated, such as had prevailed 
between the rival fur companies in former 
days. 

A reconnoitring party was sent up the river to 
ascertain the truth of the report. They ascended 
to the foot of the first rapid, about two hundred 
miles, but could hear nothing of any white men 
being in the neighborhood. 



ALARMS FROM THE INTERIOR. 105 

Not long after their return, however, further 
accounts were received, by two wandering In- 
dians, which established the fact, that the North- 
west Company had actually erected a trading- 
house on the Spokan River, which falls into the 
north branch of the Columbia. 

What rendered this intelligence the more dis- 
quieting, was the inability of the Astorians, in 
their present reduced state as to numbers, and 
the exigencies of their new establishment, to fur- 
nish detachments to penetrate the country in 
different directions, and fix the posts necessary to 
secure the interior trade. 

It was resolved, however, at any rate, to 
advance a counter-check to this post on the 
Spokan, and one of the partners, Mr. David 
Stuart, prepared to set out for the purpose with 
eight men and a small assortment of goods. He 
was to be guided by the two Indians, who knew 
the country, and promised to take him to a place 
not far from the Spokan River, and in a neighbor- 
hood abounding with beaver. Here he was to 
establish himself and to remain for a time, pro- 
vided he found the situation advantageous and 
the natives friendly. 

On the 15th of July, when Mr. Stuart was 
nearly ready to embark, a canoe made its ap- 
pearance, standing for the harbor, and manned 
by nine white men. Much speculation took 
place who these strangers could be, for it was 
too soon to expect their own people, under Mr. 
Hunt, who were to cross the continent. As the 
canoe drew near, the British standard was dis- 



106 ASTORIA. 

tinguished : on coming to land, one of the crew 
stepped on shore, and announced himself as Mr. 
David Thompson, astronomer, and partner of the 
Northwest Company. According to his account, 
he had set out in the preceding year with a 
tolerably strong party, and a supply of Indian 
goods, to cross the Rocky Mountains. A part 
of his people, however, had deserted him on the 
eastern side, and returned with the goods to the 
nearest Northwest post. He had persisted in 
crossing: the mountains with eight men, who re- 
mained true to him. They had traversed the 
higher regions, and ventured near the source of 
the Columbia, where, in the spring, they had con- 
structed a cedar canoe, the same in which they 
had reached Astoria. 

This, in fact, was the party despatched by the 
Northwest Company to anticipate Mr. Astor in 
his intention of effecting a settlement at the 
mouth of the Columbia River. It appears, from 
information subsequently derived from other 
sources, that Mr. Thompson had pushed on his 
course with great haste, calling at all the Indian 
villages in his march, presenting them with Brit- 
ish flags, and even planting them at the forks of 
the rivers, proclaiming formally that he took pos- 
session of the country in the name of the king 
of Great Britain for the Northwest Company. 
As his original plan was defeated by the deser- 
tion of his people, it is probable that he descended 
the river simply to reconnoitre, and ascertain 
whether an American settlement had been com- 
menced. 



A SPY IN THE CAMP. 107 

Mr. Thompson was, no doubt, the first white 
man who descended the northern branch of the 
Columbia from So near its source. Lewis and 
Clarke struck the main body of the river at the 
forks, about four hundred miles fi'om its mouth. 
They entered it from Lewis River, its southern 
branch, and thence descended. 

Though Mr. Thompson could be considered as 
little better than a spy in the camp, he was re- 
ceived with great cordiality by Mr. M'Dougal, 
who had a lurking feeling of companionship and 
good-will for all of the Northwest Company. 
He invited him to head-quarters, where he and 
his people were hospitably entertained. Nay, 
further, being somewhat in extremity, he was 
furnished by Mr. M'Dougal with goods and pro- 
visions for his journey back, across the moun- 
tains, much against the wishes of Mr. David 
Stuart, who did not think the object of his visit 
entitled him to any favor. 

On the 23d of July, Mr. Stuart set out upon 
his expedition to the interior. His party consist- 
ed of four of the clerks, Messrs. Fillet, Ross, 
M'Lennon, and Montigny, two Canadian voy- 
ageurs, and two natives of the Sandwich Islands. 
They had three canoes well laden with provi- 
sions, and with goods and necessaries for a 
trading establishment. 

Mr. Thompson and his party set out in com- 
pany with them, it being his intention to proceed 
direct to Montreal. The partners at Astoria 
forwarded by him a short letter to Mr. As tor, 
informing him of their safe arrival at the mouth 



108 ASTORIA. 

of the Columbia, and that they had not yet heard 
of Mr. Hunt. The little squadron of canoes set 
sail with a favorable breeze, and soon passed 
Tongue Point, a long, high, and rocky promon- 
tory, covered with trees, and stretching far into 
the river. Opposite to this, on the northern 
shore, is a deep bay, where the Columbia anchor- 
ed at the time of the discovery, and which is 
still called Gray's Bay, from the name of her 
commander. 

From hence, the general course of the river 
for about seventy miles, was nearly southeast ; 
varying in breadth according to its bays and in- 
dentations, and navigable for vessels of three 
hundred tons. The shores were in some places 
high and rocky, with low marshy islands at their 
feet, subject to inundation, and covered with 
willows, poplars, and other trees that love an 
alluvial soil. Sometimes the mountains receded, 
and gave place to beautiful plains and noble 
forests. While the river margin was richly 
fringed with trees of deciduous foliage, the rough 
uplands were crowned by majestic pines, and firs 
of gigantic size, some towering to the height of 
between two and three hundred feet, with pro- 
portionate circumference. Out of these the In- 
dians wrought their great canoes and pirogues. 

At one part of the river, they passed, on the 
northern side, an isolated rock, about one hun- 
dred and fifty feet high, rising from a low marshy 
soil, and totally disconnected with the adjacent 
mountains. This was held in great reverence by 
the neighboring Indians, being one of their prin- 



INDIAN SEPULCHRES. 109 

cipal places of sepulture. The same provident 
care for the deceased that prevails among the 
hunting tribes of the prairies is observable among 
the piscatory tribes of the rivers and sea-coast. 
Among the former, the favorite horse of the 
hunter is buried with him in the same funereal 
mound, and his bow and arrows are laid by his 
side, that he may be perfectly equipped for the 
" happy hunting grounds " of the land of spirits. 
Among the latter, the Indian is wrapped in his 
mantle of skins, laid in his canoe, with his 
paddle, his fishing spear, and other implements 
beside him, and placed aloft on some rock or 
other eminence overlooking the river, or bay, or 
lake, that he has frequented. He is thus fitted 
out to launch away upon those placid streams 
and sunny lakes stocked with all kinds of fish 
and waterfowl, which are prepared in the next 
world for those who have acquitted themselves 
as good sons, good fathers, good husbands, and, 
above all, good fishermen, during their mortal 
sojourn. 

The isolated rock in question presented a spec- 
tacle of the kind, numerous dead bodies being 
deposited in canoes on its summit ; while on poles 
around were trophies, or, rather, funereal offerings 
of trinkets, garments, baskets of roots, and other 
articles for the use of the deceased. A reveren- 
tial feeling protects these sacred spots from rob- 
bery or insult. The friends of the deceased, es- 
pecially the women, repair here at sunrise and 
sunset for some time after his death, singing his 
funeral dirge, and uttering loud wailings and 
lamentations. 



110 ASTORIA. 

From the number of dead bodies in canoes 
observed upon this rock by the first explorers of 
the river, it received the name of Mount Coffin, 
which it continues to bear. 

Beyond this rock they passed the mouth of a 
river on the right bank of the Columbia, which 
appeared to take its rise in a distant mountain, 
covered with snow. The Indian name of this 
river was the Cowleskee. vSome miles further 
on they came to the great Columbian Valley, so 
called by Lewis and Clarke. It is sixty miles 
in width, and extends far to the southeast be- 
tween parallel ridges of mountains, which bound 
it on the east and west. Through the centre of 
this valley flowed a large and beautiful stream, 
called the Wallamot,! which came wandering 
for several hundred miles, through a yet unex- 
plored wilderness. The sheltered situation of 
this immense valley had an obvious eflPect upon 
the climate. It was a region of great beauty 
and luxuriance, with lakes and pools, and green 
meadows shaded by noble groves. Various 
tribes were said to reside in this valley, and 
along the banks of the Wallamot. 

About eight miles above the mouth of the 
Wallamot the little squadron arrived at Van- 
couver's Point, so called in honor of that cele- 
brated voyager by his lieutenant (Broughton) 
when he explored the river. This point is said 
to present one of the most beautiful scenes on 
the Columbia; a lovely meadow, with a silver 

1 Pronounced Wallamot, the accent being upon the second 
syllable. 



SCENERY OF THE COLUMBIA. HI 

sheet of limpid water in the centre, enlivened 
by wild-fowl, a range of hills crowned by forests, 
while the prospect is closed by Mount Hood, a 
magnificent mountain rising into a lofty peak, 
and covered with snow; the ultimate landmark 
of the first explorers of the river. 

Point Vancouver is about one hundred miles 
from Astoria. Here the reflux of the tide ceases 
to be perceptible. To this place vessels of two 
and three hundred tons burden may ascend. The 
party under the command of Mr. Stuart had been 
three or four days in reaching it, though we have 
forborne to notice their daily progress and nightly 
encampments. 

From Point Vancouver the river turned to- 
wards the northeast, and became more contracted 
and rapid, with occasional islands and frequent 
sand-banks. These islands are furnished with 
a number of ponds, and at certain seasons abound 
with swans, geese, brandts, cranes, gulls, plover, 
and other wild-fowl. The shores, too, are low, 
and closely wooded, and such an undergrowth of 
vines and rushes as to be almost impassable. 

About thirty miles above Point Vancouver the 
mountains again approach on both sides of the 
river, which is bordered by stupendous precipices, 
covered with the fir and the white cedar, and en- 
livened occasionally by beautiful cascades leaping 
from a great height, and sending w^ wreaths of 
vapor. One of these precipices, or cliffs, is 
curiously worn by time and weather so as to have 
the appearance of a ruined fortress, with towers 
and battlements, beetling high above the river ; 



112 ASTORIA. 

while two small cascades, one hundred and fifty 
feet in height, j)itch down from the fissures of the 
rocks. 

The turbulence and rapidity of the current con- 
tinually augmenting as they advanced, gave the 
voyagers intimation that they were approachmg 
the great obstructions of the river, and at length 
they arrived at Strawberry Island, so called by 
Lewis and Clarke, which lies at the foot of the 
first rapid. As this part of the Columbia will be 
repeatedly mentioned in the course of this work, 
being the scene of some of its incidents, we shall 
give a general description of it in this place. 

The falls or rapids of the Columbia are situated 
above one hundred and eighty miles above the 
mouth of the river. The first is a perpendicular 
cascade of twenty feet, after which there is a 
swift descent for a mile, between islands of hard 
black rock, to another pitch of eight feet divided 
by two rocks. About two and a half miles below 
this the river expands into a wide basin, seemingly 
dammed up by a perpendicular ridge of black 
rock. A current, however, sets diagonally to the 
left of this rocky barrier, where there is a chasm 
forty-five yards in width. Through this the whole 
body of the river roars along, swelling and whirl- 
ing and boiling for some distance in the wildest 
confusion. Through this tremendous channel the 
intrepid explorers of the river, Lewis and Clarke, 
passed safely in their boats ; the danger being, not 
from the rocks, but from the great surges and 
whirlpools. 

At the distance of a mile and a half from the 



THE LONG NARROWS. 113 

foot of tliis narrow channel is a rapid, formed by- 
two rocky islands ; and two miles beyond is a 
second great fall, over a ledge of rocks twenty 
feet liigh, extending nearly from shore to shore. 
The river is again compressed into a channel from 
fifty to a hundred feet wide, worn through a rough 
bed of hard black rock, along which it boils and 
roars with great fury for the distance of three 
miles. This is called " The Long Narrows." 

Here is the great fishing place of the Columbia. 
Li the spring of the year, when the water is high, 
the salmon ascend the river in incredible numbers. 
As they pass through this narrow strait, the In- 
dians, standing on the rocks, or on the end of 
wooden stages projecting from the banks, scoop 
them up with small nets distended on hoops and 
attached to long handles, and cast them on the 
shore. 

They are then cured and packed in a peculiar 
manner. After having been opened and dis- 
emboweled, they are exposed to the sun on scaffolds 
erected on the river banks. When sufficiently 
dry, they are pounded fine between two stones, 
pressed into the smallest compass, and packed in 
baskets or bales of grass matting, about two feet 
long and one in diameter, lined with the cured 
skin of a salmon. The top is likewise covered 
with fish skins, secured by cords passing through 
holes in the edge of the basket. Packages are 
then made, each containing twelve of these bales, 
seven at bottom, five at top, pressed close to each 
other, with the corded side upward, wrapped in 
mats and corded. These are placed m dry situa- 



114 ASTORIA. 

tions, and again covered with matting. Each of 
these packages contains from ninety to a hundred 
pounds of dried fish, wliich in tliis state will keep 
sound for several years.^ 

We have given this process at some length, as 
furnished by the first explorers, because it marks 
a practiced ingenuity in preparing articles of traf- 
fic for a market, seldom seen among our aboriginals. 
For like reasons we would make especial mention 
of the village of Wish-ram, at the head of the 
Long Narrows, as being a solitary instance of an 
aboriginal trading mart, or emporium. Here the 
salmon caught in the neighboring rapids were 
" warehoused," to await customers. Hither the 
tribes from the mouth of the Columbia repaired 
with the fish of the sea-coast, the roots, berries, 
and especially the wappatoo, gathered in the lower 
parts of the river, together with goods and trink- 
ets obtained from the ships which casually visit 
the coast. Hither also the tribes from the Rocky 
Mountains brought down horses, bear-grass, quam- 
ash, and other commodities of the interior. 
The merchant fishermen at the falls acted as 
middlemen or factors, and passed the objects of 
traffic, as it were, cross-handed ; trading away part 
of the wares received from the mountain tribes 
to those of the river and the plains, and vice versa : 
their packages of pounded salmon entered largely 
into the system of barter, and being carried off in 
opposite directions, found their way to the savage 
hunting camps far in the interior, and to the cas- 
ual white traders who touched upon the coast. 
1 Lewis and Clarke, vol. ii. p. 32. 



INDIAN FISHING MART. 115 

We have already noticed certain contrarieties 
of character between the Indian tribes, produced 
by their diet and mode of life ; and nowhere are 
they more apparent than about the falls of the 
Columbia. The Indians of this great fishing mart 
are represented by the earliest explorers as sleeker 
and fatter, but less hardy and active, than the 
tribes of the mountains and the prau-ies, who live 
by hunting, or of the upper parts of the river, 
where fish is scanty, and the inhabitants must eke 
out their subsistence by digging roots or chasing 
the deer. Indeed, whenever an Indian of the 
upper country is too lazy to himt, yet is fond of 
good living, he repairs to the falls, to live in 
abundance without labor. 

" By such worthless dogs as these," says an 
honest trader in liis journal, which now Hes before 
us, " by such worthless dogs as these are these 
noted fishing-places peopled, which, like our great 
cities, may with propriety be called the head- 
quarters of vitiated principles." 

The habits of trade and the avidity of gain 
have their corrupting effects even in the wilderness, 
as may be instanced in the members of this 
aboriginal emporium ; for the same journalist de- 
nounces them as " saucy, impudent rascals, who 
will steal when they can, and piUage whenever a 
weak party falls in their power." 

That he does not belie them will be evidenced 
hereafter, when we have occasion again to touch 
at Wish-ram and navigate the rapids. In the 
present instance the travellers effected the laborious 
ascent of this part of the river, with aU its various 



116 ASTORIA. 

portages, without molestation, and once more 
launched away in smooth water above the high falls. 

The two parties continued together, without 
material imjoediment, for three or four hundred 
miles further ujd the Columbia ; Mr. Thompson 
appearing to take great interest in the success of 
Mr. Stuart, and pointing out places favorable, as 
he said, to the establishment of his contemplated 
trading post. 

Mr. Stuart, who distrusted his sincerity, at 
length pretended to adopt his advice, and, taking 
leave of him, remained as if to establish himself, 
while the other proceeded on his course towards 
the mountains. No sooner, however, had he fairly 
departed than Mr. Stuart again pushed forward, 
under guidance of the two Indians, nor did he stop 
until he had arrived within about one hundred 
and forty miles of the Spokan River, wliich he 
considered near enough to keep the rival establish- 
ment in check. 

The place which he pitched upon for his 
trading jDost was a point of land about three 
miles in length and two in breadth, formed by 
the junction of the Oakinagan with the Colum- 
bia. The former is a river which has its source 
in a considerable lake about one hundred and 
fifty miles west of the point of junction. The 
two rivers, about the place of their confluence, 
are bordered by immense prairies covered with 
herbage, but destitute of trees. The point itself 
was ornamented with wild flowers of every hue, 
in which innumerable humming-birds were " ban- 
queting nearly the livelong day." 



MOUTR OF THE AKIN AG AN. 117 

The situation of this point appeared to be well 
adapted for a trading post. The climate was 
salubrious, the soil fertile, the rivers well stocked 
with fish, the natives peaceable and friendly. 
There were easy communications with the interior 
by the upper waters of the Columbia and the 
lateral stream of the Oakinagan, while the down- 
ward current of the Columbia furnished a high- 
way to Astoria. 

Availing himself, therefore, of the driftwood 
which had collected in quantities in the neigh- 
boring bends of the river, Mr. Stuart and his 
men set to work to erect a house, which in a 
little while was sufficiently completed for their 
residence ; and thus was established the first in- 
terior post of the company. We will now return 
to notice the progress of affairs at the mouth of 
the Columbia. 



-^M^ 




CHAPTER XI. 

HE sailing of the Tonquin, and the de- 
parture of Mr. David Stuart and his 
detachment, had produced a striking 
effect on affairs at Astoria. The natives who had 
swarmed about the place began immediately to 
drop off, until at length not an Indian was to be 
seen. This, at first, was attributed to the want 
of peltries with which to trade ; but in a little 
while the mystery was explained in a more 
alarming manner. A conspiracy was said to be 
on foot among the neighboring tribes to make a 
combined attack upon the white men, now that 
they were so reduced in number. For this pur- 
pose there had been a gathering of warriors in a 
neighboring bay, under pretext of fishing for 
sturgeon ; and fleets of canoes were expected to 
join them from the north and south. Even 
Comcomly, the one-eyed chief, notwithstanding 
his professed friendship for Mr. M'Dougal, was 
strongly suspected of being concerned in this 
general combination. 

Alarmed at rumors of this impending danger, 
the Astorians suspended their regular labor, and 
set to work, with all haste, to throw up tem- 
porary works for refuge and defense. In the 
course of a few days they surrounded their dwel- 



ALARMING RUMORS. 119 

ling-house and magazines witli a picket fence 
ninety feet square, flanked by two bastions, on 
which were mounted four four-pounders. Every 
day they exercised themselves in the use of their 
weapons, so as to quahfy themselves for military 
duty, and at night ensconced themselves in their 
fortress and posted sentinels, to guard against 
surprise. In this way they hoped, even in case 
of attack, to be able to hold out until the arrival 
of the j)arty to be conducted by Mr. Hunt across 
the Rocky Mountains, or until the return of the 
Tonquin. The latter dependence, however, was 
doomed soon to be destroyed. Early in August, 
a wandering band of savages from the Strait of 
Juan de Fuca, made their appearance at the 
mouth of the Columbia, where they came to fish 
for sturgeon. They brought disastrous accounts 
of the Tonquin, which were at first treated as 
mere fables, but which were too sadly confirmed 
by a different tribe that arrived a few days sub- 
sequently. We shall relate the circumstances of 
this melancholy affair as correctly as the casual 
discrepancies in the statements that have reached 
us will permit. 

We have already stated that the Tonquin set 
sail from the mouth of the river on the fifth of 
June. The whole number of persons on board 
amounted to twenty-three. In one of the outer 
bays they picked up, from a fishing canoe, an 
Indian named Lamazee, who had already made 
two voyages along the coast, and knew some- 
thing of the language of the various tribes. He 
agreed to accompany them as interpreter. 



120 ASTORIA. 

Steering to the north, Captain Thorn arrived in 
a few days at Vancouver's Island, and anchored 
in the harbor of Neweetee, very much against 
the advice of his Indian interpreter, who warned 
him against the perfidious character of the na- 
tives of this part of the coast. Numbers of 
canoes soon came off, bringing sea-otter skins to 
sell. It was too late in the day to commence a 
traffic, but Mr. M'Kay, accompanied by a few of 
the men, went on shore to a large village to visit 
Wicananish, the chief of the surrounding terri- 
tory, six of the natives remaining on board as 
hostages. He was received with great profes- 
sions of friendship, entertained hospitably, and a 
couch of sea-otter skins was prepared for him in 
the dwelling of the chieftain, where he was pre- 
vailed upon to pass the night. 

In the morning, before Mr. M'Kay had re- 
turned to the ship, great numbers of the natives 
came off in their canoes to trade, headed by two 
sons of Wicananish. As they brought abun- 
dance of sea-otter skins, and there was every 
appearance of a brisk trade, Captain Thorn did 
not wait for the return of Mr. M'Kay, but spread 
his wares upon deck, making a tempting display 
of blankets, cloths, knives, beads, and fish-hooks, 
expecting a prompt and profitable sale. The 
Indians, however, were not so eager and simple 
as he had supposed, having learned the art of 
bargainino; and the value of merchandise from 
the casual traders along the coast. They were 
guided, too, by a shrewd old chief named Noo- 
kamis, who had grown gray in traffic with New 



A DEADLY INSULT. 121 

England skippers, and prided himself upon his 
acuteness. His opinion seemed to regulate the 
market. When Captain Thorn made what he 
considered a liberal offer for an otter-skin, the 
wily old Indian treated it with scorn, and asked 
more than double. His comrades all took their 
cue from him, and not an otter-skin was to be 
had at a reasonable rate. 

The old fellow, however, overshot his mark, 
and mistook the character of the man he was 
treating with. Thorn was a plain, straightfor- 
ward sailor, who never had two minds nor two 
prices in his dealings, was deficient in patience 
and pliancy, and totally wanting in the chicanery 
of trafl&c. He had a vast deal of stern, but 
honest pride in his nature, and, moreover, held 
the whole savage race in sovereign contempt. 
Abandoning all further attempts, therefore, to 
bargain with his shuffling customers, he' thrust 
his hands into his pockets, and paced up and 
down the deck in sullen silence. The cunning 
old Indian followed him to and fro, holding out 
a sea-otter skin to him at every turn, and pester- 
ing him to trade. Finding other means unavail- 
ing, he suddenly changed his tone, and began to 
jeer and banter him upon the mean prices he 
offered. This was too much for the patience of 
the captaift, who was never remarkable for relish- 
ing a joke, especially when at his own expense. 
Turning suddenly upon his persecutor, he 
snatched the proffered otter-skin from his 
hands, rubbed it in his face, and dismissed him 
over the side of the ship with no very compli- 



122 ASTORIA. 

mentary application to accelerate his exit. He 
then kicked the peltries to the right and left 
about the deck, and broke up the market in the 
most ignominious manner. Old Nookamis made 
for shore in a furious passion, in which he was 
joined by Shewish, one of the sons of Wicana- 
nish, who went off breathing vengeance, and the 
ship was soon abandoned by the natives. 

When Mr. M'Kay returned on board, the in- 
terpreter related what had passed, and begged 
him to prevail upon the captain to make sail, as, 
from his knowledge of the temper and pride of 
the people of the place, he was sure they would 
resent the indignity offered to one of their chiefs. 
Mr. M'Kay, who himself possessed some experi- 
ence of Indian character, went to the captain, 
who was still 23acing the deck in moody humor, 
represented the danger to which his hasty act 
had exposed the vessel, and urged him to weigh 
anchor. The captain made light of his counsels, 
and pointed to his cannon and fire-arms as a suf- 
ficient safeguard against naked savages. Fur- 
ther remonstrances only provoked taunting re- 
plies and sharp altercations. The day passed 
away without any signs of hostility, and at night 
the captain retired as usual to his cabin, taking 
no more than the usual precautions. 

On the following morning, at daybreak, while 
the captain and Mr. M'Kay were yet asleep, a 
canoe came alongside in which were twenty 
Indians, commanded by young Shewish. They 
were unarmed, their aspect and demeanor friend- 
ly, and they held up otter-skins, and made signs 



INDIANS THRONG THE SHIP. 123 

indicative of a wish to trade. Tlie caution en- 
joined by Mr. Astor, in respect to the admission of 
Indians on board of the slii23, had been neglected 
for some time past, and the officer of the watch, per- 
ceiving those in the canoe to be without weapons, 
and having received no orders to the contrary, 
readily permitted them to mount the deck. 
Another canoe soon succeeded, the crew of 
which was likewise admitted. In a little while 
other canoes came off, and Indians were soon 
clambering into the vessel on all sides. 

The officer of the watch now felt alarmed, and 
called to Captaia Thorn and Mr. M'Kay. By 
the time they came on deck, it was thronged 
with Lidians. The interpreter noticed to Mr. 
M'Kay that many of the natives wore short 
mantles of skins, and intimated a suspicion that 
they were secretly armed. Mr. M'Kay urged 
the captain to clear the ship and get under way. 
He again made light of the advice ; but the 
augmented swarm of canoes about the ship, and 
the numbers still puttmg off from shore, at 
length awakened his distrust, and he ordered 
some of the crew to weigh anchor, while some 
were sent aloft to make sail. 

The Indians now offered to trade with the 
captain on his own terms, prompted, apparently, 
by the approaching departure of the ship. Ac- 
cordingly, a hurried trade was commenced. The 
main articles sought by the savages in barter, 
were knives ; as fast as some were supplied they 
moved off, and others succeeded. By degrees 
they were thus distributed about the deck, and all 
with weapons. 



124 ASTORIA. 

The anchor was now nearly up, the sails were 
loose, and the captain, in a loud and peremptory- 
tone, ordered the ship to be cleared. In an in- 
stant, a signal yell was given ; it was echoed on 
every side, knives and war-clubs were brandished 
in every direction, and the savages rushed upon 
their marked victims. 

The first that fell was Mr. Lewis, the ship's 
clerk. He was leaning, with folded arms, over a 
bale of blankets, engaged in bargaining, when he 
received a deadly stab in the back, and fell down 
the companion-way. 

Mr. M'Kay, who was seated on the taffrail, 
sprang on his feet, but was instantly knocked 
down with a war-club and flung backwards into 
the sea, where he was dispatched by the women 
in the canoes. 

In the meantime Captain Thorn made desper- 
ate fight against fearful odds. He was a power- 
ful as well as a resolute man, but he had come 
upon deck without weapons. Shewish, the young 
chief, singled him out as his peculiar prey, and 
rushed upon him at the first outbreak. The cap- 
tain had barely time to draw a clasp-knife, with 
one blow of which he laid the young savage dead 
at his feet. Several of the stoutest followers of 
Shewish now set upon him. He defended him- 
self vigorously, dealing crippling blows to right 
and left, and strewing the quarter-deck with the 
slain and wounded. His object was to fight his 
way to the cabin, where there were fire-arms ; 
but he was hemmed in with foes, covered with 
wounds, and faint with loss of blood. For an 



MASSACRE OF THE CREW. 125 

instant he leaned upon the tiller wheel, when a 
blow from behind, with a war-club, felled hun to 
the deck, where he was dispatched with knives 
and thrown overboard. 

While this was transacting upon the quarter- 
deck, a chance-medley fight was going on throuo-h- 
out the ship. The crew fought desperately with 
knives, handspikes, and whatever weapon they 
could seize upon in the moment of surprise. 
They were soon, however, overpowered by num- 
bers, and mercilessly butchered. 

As to the seven who had been sent aloft to 
make sail, they contemplated with horror the 
carnage that was going on below. Being desti- 
tute of weapons, they let themselves down by the 
running rigging, in hopes of getting between 
decks. One fell in the attempt, and was in- 
stantly dispatched; another received a death- 
blow in the back as he was descending ; a thu-d, 
Stephen Weekes, the armorer, was mortally 
wounded as he was gettmg down the hatch- 
way. 

The remaming four made good their retreat 
into the cabin, where they found Mr. Lewis, still 
alive, though mortally wounded. Barricadmg the 
cabm door, they broke holes through the "com- 
panion-way, and, with the muskets and ammuni- 
tion which were at hand, opened a brisk fire that 
soon cleared the deck. 

Thus far the Indian interpreter, from whom 
these particulars are derived, had been an eye- 
witness to the deadly conflict. He had taken no 
part in it, and had been spared by the natives as 



126 ASTORIA. 

being of their race. In the confusion of the mo- 
ment he took refuge with the rest, in the canoes. 
The survivors of the crew now salHed forth, and 
discharged some of the deck guns, which did great 
execution among the canoes, and drove all the 
savages to shore. 

For the remainder of the day no one ventured 
to put off to the ship, deterred by the effects of 
the fire-arms. The night passed away without 
any further attempt on the part of the natives. 
Wlien the day dawned, the Tonquin still lay at 
anchor in the bay, her sails all loose and flap- 
ping in the wind, and no one apparently on board 
of her. After a time, some of the canoes ven- 
tured forth to reconnoitre, taking with them the 
interpreter. They paddled about her, keeping 
cautiously at a distance, but growing more and 
more emboldened at seeing her quiet and lifeless. 
One man at length made his appearance on the 
deck, and was recognized by the interpreter as 
Mr. Lewis. He made friendly signs, and invited 
them on board. It was long before they ven- 
tured to comply. Those who mounted the deck 
met with no opposition ; no one was to be seen 
on board ; for Mr. Lewis, after inviting them, 
had disappeared. Other canoes now pressed for- 
ward to board the prize ; the decks were soon 
crowded, and the sides covered with clambering 
savages, all intent on plunder. In the midst of 
their eagerness and exultation, the shij) blew up 
with a tremendous explosion. Arms, legs, and 
mutilated bodies were blown into the air, and 
dreadful havoc was made in the surrounding 



TEE UNFORTUNATE FUGITIVES. 127 

canoes. The interpreter was in the main-chains 
at the time of the explosion, and was thrown 
unhurt into the water, where he succeeded in 
getting into one of the canoes. According to 
his statement, the bay presented an awful specta- 
cle after the catastrophe. The ship had disap- 
peared, but the bay was covered with fragments 
of the wreck, with shattered canoes, and Indians 
swimming for their lives, or struggling in the 
agonies of death ; while those who had escaped 
the danger remained aghast and stupefied, or 
made with frantic panic for the shore. Upwards 
of a hundred savages were destroyed by the ex- 
plosion, many more were shockingly mutilated, 
and for days afterwards the limbs and bodies of 
the slain were thrown upon the beach. 

The inhabitants of Neweetee were over- 
whelmed with consternation at this astounding 
calamity, which had burst upon them in the very 
moment of triumph. The warriors sat mute and 
mournfal, while the women filled the air with 
loud lamentations. Their weeping and wailing, 
however, was suddenly changed into yells of fury 
at the sight of four unfortunate white men, 
brought captive into the village. They had been 
di'iven on shore in one of the ship's boats, and 
taken at some distance along the coast. 

The interpreter was permitted to converse 
with them. They proved to be the four brave 
fellows who had made such desperate defense 
from the cabin. The interpreter gathered from 
them some of the particulars already related. 
They told him further, that after they had beaten 



128 ASTORIA. 

off the enemy and cleared the ship, Lewis ad- 
vised that they should slip the cable and endeavor 
to get to sea. They declined to take his advice, 
alleging that the wind set too strongly into the 
bay, and would drive them on shore. They re- 
solved, as soon as it was dark, to put off quietly 
in the ship's boat, which they would be able to 
do unperceived, and to coast along back to As- 
toria. They put their resolution into effect ; but 
Lewis refused to accompany them, being disabled 
by his wound, hopeless of escape, and determined 
on a terrible revenge. On the voyage out, he 
had repeatedly expressed a presentiment that he 
should die by his own hands ; thinking it highly 
probable that he should be engaged in some con- 
test with the natives, and being resolved, in case 
of extremity, to commit suicide rather than be 
made a prisoner. He now declared his intention 
to remain on board of the ship until daylight, to 
decoy as many of the savages on board as pos- 
sible, then to set fire to the powder magazine, 
and terminate his life by a signal act of venge- 
ance. How well he succeeded has been shown. 
His companions bade liim a melancholy adieu, 
and set off on their precarious expedition. They 
strove with might and main to get out of the 
bay, but found it impossible to weather a point 
of land, and were at length compelled to take 
shelter in a small cove, where they hoped to re- 
main concealed until the wind should be more 
favorable. Exhausted by fatigue and watching, 
they fell into a sound sleep, and in that state 
were surprised by the savages. Better had it 



ERRORS OF CAPTAIN THORN. 129 

been for those unfortunate men had they re- 
mained with Lewis, and shared his heroic death : 
as it was, they perished in a more painful and 
protracted manner, being sacrificed by the natives 
to the manes of their friends with all the linger- 
ing tortures of savage cruelty. Some time after 
their death, the interpreter, who had remained a 
kind of prisoner at large, effected his escape, and 
brought the tragical tidings to Astoria. 

Such is the melancholy story of the Tonquin, 
and such was the fate of her brave, but head- 
strong commander, and her adventurous crew. 
It is a catastrojDhe that shows the importance, 
in all enterprises of moment, to keep in mind the 
general instructions of the sagacious heads which 
devise them. Mr. Astor was well aware of the 
perils to which ships were exposed on this coast 
from quarrels with the natives, and from perfidi- 
ous attempts of the latter to surprise and capture 
them in unguarded moments. He had repeat- 
edly enjoined it upon Captain Thorn, in conver- 
sation, and at parting, in his letter of instructions, 
to be courteous and kind in his dealings with the 
savages, but by no means to confide in their ap- 
parent friendshii), nor to admit more than a few 
on hoard of his ship at a time. 

Had the dej^ortment of Captain Thorn been 
properly regulated, the insult so wounding to 
savage pride would never have been given. Had 
he enforced the rule to admit but a few at a time, 
the savages would not have been able to get the 
mastery. He was too irritable, however, to prac- 
tice the necessary self-command, and, having been 



130 ASTORIA. 

nurtured in a proud contempt of danger, thought 
it beneath him to manifest any fear of a crew of 
unarmed savages. 

With all his faults and foibles, we cannot but 
speak of him with esteem, and deplore his un- 
timely fate ; for we remember him well in early 
life, as a companion in pleasant scenes and joyous 
hours. When on shore, among his friends, he 
was a frank, manly, sound-hearted sailor. On 
board ship he evidently assumed the hardness of 
deportment and sternness of demeanor which 
many deem essential to naval service. Through- 
out the whole of the expedition, however, he 
showed himself loyal, single-minded, straightfor- 
ward, and fearless ; and if the fate of his vessel 
may be charged to his harshness and imprudence, 
we should recollect that he j)aid for his error with 
his life. 

The loss of the Tonquin was a grievous blow 
to the infant establishment of Astoria, and one 
that threatened to bring after it a train of disas- 
ters. The intelligence of it did not reach Mr. 
Astor until many months afterwards. He felt 
it in all its force, and was aware that it must 
cripjDle, if not entirely defeat, the great scheme 
of his ambition. In his letters, written at the 
time, he speaks of it as " a calamity, the length 
of which he could not foresee." He indulged, 
however, in no weak and vain lamentation, but 
sought to devise a prompt and efficient remedy. 
The very same evening he appeared at the thea- 
tre with his usual serenity of countenance. A 
friend, who knew the disastrous intelligence he 



CALMNESS OF MR. AST OR. 



131 



had received, exjDressed his astonishment that he 
could have calmness of spirit sufficient for such 
a scene of light amusement. " What would you 
have me do ? " was his characteristic reply ; " would 
you have me stay at home and weep for what I 
cannot heljD ? " 





CHAPTER XII. 

HE tidings of the loss of the Tonquin, 
and the massacre of her crew, struck 
dismay into the hearts of the Astorians. 
They found themselves a mere handful of men, 
on a savage coast, surrounded by hostile tribes, 
who would doubtless be incited and encouraged 
to deeds of violence by the late fearful catastrophe. 
In this juncture Mr. M'Dougal, we are told, had 
recourse to a stratagem by which to avail himself 
of the ignorance and credulity of the savages, and 
which certainly does credit to his ingenuity. 

The natives of the coast, and, indeed, of all 
the regions west of the mountains, had an extreme 
dread of the small-pox ; that terrific scourge hav- 
ing, a few years previously, appeared among them, 
and almost swept off entire tribes. Its origin 
and nature were wrapped in mystery, and they 
conceived it an evil inflicted upon them by the 
Great Spirit, or brought among them by the 
white men. The last idea was seized upon by 
Mr. M'Dougal. He assembled several of the 
chieftains whom he believed to be in the conspir- 
acy. When they were all seated around, he 
informed them that he had heard of the treach- 
ery of some of their northern brethren towards 
the Tonquin, and was determined on vengeance. 



THE GREAT SMALI^POX CHIEF. 133 

« The white men among you," said he, " are few 
in number, it is true, but they are mighty in 
medicine. See here," continued he, drawing 
forth a small bottle and holding it before their 
eyes, " in this bottle I hold the sraall-pox, safely 
corked up ; I have but to draw the cork, and let 
loose the pestilence, to sweep man, woman, and 
child from the face of the earth." 

The chiefs were struck with horror and alarm. 
They implored hira not to uncork the bottle, 
since they and all their people were firm friends 
of the white men, and would always remain so ; 
but, should the small-pox be once let out, it would 
run like wildfire throughout the country, sweeping 
off the good as well as the bad ; and surely he 
would not be so unjust as to punish his friends 
for crimes committed by his enemies. 

Mr. M'Dougal pretended to be convinced by 
their reasoning, and assured them that, so long as 
the white people should be unmolested, and the 
conduct of their Indian neighbors friendly and 
.hospitable, the phial of wrath should remain 
sealed up; but, on the least hostility, the fatal 
cork should be drawn. 

From this time, it is added, he was much 
dreaded by the natives, as one who held their 
fate in his hands, and was called, by way of 
preeminence, " the Great Small-pox Chief." 

All this while, the labors at the infant settle- 
ment went on with unremitting assiduity, and, by 
the 26th of September, a commodious mansion, 
spacious enough to accommodate all hands, was 
completed. It was built of stone and clay, there 



134 AST OEM. 

being no calcareous stone in the neighborhood 
from which lime for mortar could be procured. 
The schooner was also finished, and launched, 
with the accustomed ceremony, on the second 
of October, and took her station below the fort. 
She was named the Dolly, and was the first 
American vessel launched on this coast. 

On the 5th of October, in the evening, the 
little community at Astoria was enlivened by the 
unexpected arrival of a detachment from Mr. 
David Stuart's post on the Oakinagan. It con- 
sisted of two of the clerks and two of the 
privates. They brought favorable accounts of 
the new establishment, but reported that, as Mr. 
Stuart was apprehensive there might be a diffi- 
culty of subsisting his whole party throughout 
the winter, he had sent one half back to Astoria, 
retaining with him only Ross, Montigny, and two 
others. Such is the hardihood of the Indian 
trader. In the heart of a savage and unknown 
country, seven hundred miles from the main 
body of his fellow-adventurers, Stuart had dis- 
missed half of his little number, and was pre- 
pared with the residue to brave all the perils of 
the wilderness, and the rigors of a long and 
dreary winter. 

With the return party came a Canadian Creole 
named Regis Brugiere and an Iroquois hunter, 
with his wife and two children. As these two 
personages belong to certain classes which have 
derived their peculiar characteristics from the fur 
trade, we deem some few particulars concerning 
them pertinent to the nature of this work. 



» FREEMEN r 135 

Brugiere was of a class of beaver trappers 
and hunters technically called " Freemen," in the 
language of the traders. They are generally 
Canadians by birth, and of French descent, who 
have been employed for a term of years by some 
fur company, but, their term being expired, con- 
tinue to hunt and trap on their own account, 
trading with the company like the Indians. 
Hence they derive their appellation of Freemen, 
to distinguish them from the trappers who are 
bound for a number of years, and receive wages, 
or hunt on shares. 

Having passed their early youth in the wilder- 
ness, separated almost entirely from civilized man, 
and in frequent intercourse with the Indians, they 
relapse, with a facility common to human nature, 
into the habitudes of savage life. Though no 
longer bound by engagements to continue in the 
interior, they have become so accustomed to the 
freedom of the forest and the prairie, that they 
look back with repugnance upon the restraints of 
civilization. Most of them intermarry with 
the natives, and, like the latter, have often a 
plurality of wives. Wanderers of the wilderness, 
according to the vicissitudes of the seasons, the 
migrations of animals, and the plenty or scarcity 
of game, they lead a precarious and unsettled 
existence ; exposed to sun and storm, and all 
kinds of hardships, until they resemble Indians 
in complexion as well as in tastes and habits. 
From time to time, they bring the peltries they 
have collected to the trading houses of the com- 
pany in whose employ they have been brought 



136 ASTORIA. 

up. Here they traffic them away for such 
articles of merchandise or ammunition as they 
may stand in need of At the time when Mon- 
treal was the great emporium of the fur trader, 
one of these freemen of the wilderness would 
suddenly return, after an absence of many years, 
among his old friends and comrades. He would 
be greeted as one risen from the dead ; and with 
the greater welcome, as he returned flush of 
money. A short time, however, spent in revelry, 
would be sufficient to drain his purse and sate 
him with civilized life, and he would return with 
new relish to the unshackled freedom of the 
forest. 

Numbers of men of this class were scattered 
throughout the northwest territories. Some of 
them retained a little of the thrift and forethought 
of the civilized man, and became wealthy among 
their improvident neighbors ; their wealth being 
chiefly displayed in large bands of horses, which 
covered the prairies in the vicinity of their abodes. 
Most of them, however, were prone to assimilate 
to the red man in their heedlessness of the fu- 
ture. 

Such was Regis Brugiere, a freeman and rover 
of the wilderness. Having been brought up in 
the service of the Northwest Company, he had 
followed in the train of one of its expeditions 
across the Rocky Mountains, and undertaken to 
trap for the trading post established on the 
Spokan River. In the course of his hunting 
excursions he had either accidentally, or design- 
edly, found his way to the post of Mr. Stuart, 



HALF-CIVILIZED INDIANS. 137 

and had been prevailed upon to descend the 
Columbia, and " try his luck " at Astoria. 

Ignace Shonowane, the Iroquois hunter, was a 
specimen of a different class. He was one of 
those aboriginals of Canada who had partially- 
conformed to the habits of civilization and the 
doctrines of Christianity, under the influence of 
the French colonists and the Catholic priests ; 
who seem generally to have been more successful 
in conciliating, taming, and converting the sav- 
ages, than their English and Protestant rivals. 
These half-civilized Indians retained some of the 
good, and many of the evil qualities of their 
original stock. They were first-rate hunters, 
and dexterous in the management of the canoe. 
They could undergo great privations, and were 
admirable for the service of the rivers, lakes, 
and forests, provided they could be kept sober, 
and in proper subordination ; but once inflamed 
with liquor, to which they were madly addicted, 
all the dormant passions inherent in their nature 
were prone to break forth, and to hurry them 
into the most vindictive and bloody acts of 
violence. 

Though they generally professed the Roman 
Catholic religion, yet it was mixed, occasionally, 
with some of their ancient superstitions; and 
they retained much of the Indian belief in 
charms and omens. Numbers of these men 
were employed by the Northwest Company as 
trappers, hunters, and canoe men, but on lower 
terms than were allowed to white men. Ignace 
Shonowane had, in this way, followed the enter- 



138 ASTORIA. 

prise of the company to the banks of the Spokan, 
being, probably, one of the first of his tribe that 
had traversed the Rocky Mountains. 

Such were some of the motley populace of the 
wilderness, incident to the fur trade, who were 
gradually attracted to the new settlement of 
Astoria. 

The month of October now began to give 
indications of approaching winter. Hitherto, the 
colonists had been well pleased with the climate. 
The summer had been temperate, the mercury 
never rising above eighty degrees. Westerly 
winds had prevailed during the spring and the 
early part of summer, and been succeeded by 
fresh breezes from the northwest. In the month 
of October the southerly winds set in, bringing 
with them frequent rain. 

The Indians now began to quit the borders of 
the ocean, and to retire to their winter quarters 
in the sheltered bosom of the forests, or along 
the small rivers and brooks. The rainy season, 
which commences in October, continues, with 
little intermission, until April ; and though the 
winters are generally mild, the mercury seldom 
sinking below the freezing point, yet the tempests 
of wind and rain are terrible. The sun is some- 
times obscured for weeks, the brooks swell into 
roaring torrents, and the country is threatened 
with a deluge. 

The departure of the Indians to their winter 
quarters gradually rendered provisions scanty, 
and obliged the colonists to send out foraging 
expeditions in the Dolly. Still the little handful 



NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES. 139 

of adventurers kept up their spirits in their 
lonely fort at Astoria, looking forward to the 
time when they should be animated and rein- 
forced by the party under Mr. Hunt, that was 
to come to them across the Rocky Mountains. 

The year gradually wore away. The rain, 
which had poured down almost incessantly since 
the first of October, cleared up towards the 
evening of the 31st of December, and the morn- 
ing of the first of January ushered in a day of 
sunshine. 

The hereditary French holiday spirit of the 
French voyageurs is hardly to be depressed by 
any adversities ; and they can manage to get up a 
fete in the most squalid situations, and under the 
most untoward circumstances. An extra allow- 
ance of rum, and a little flour to make cakes and 
puddings, constitute a " regale ; " and they forget 
all their toils and troubles in the song and dance. 

On the present occasion, the partners endeav- 
ored to celebrate the new year with some effect. 
At sunrise the drums beat to arms, the colors 
were hoisted, with three rounds of small arms 
and three discharges of cannon. The day was 
devoted to games of agility and strength, and 
other amusements; and grog was temperately 
distributed, together with bread, butter, and 
cheese. The best dinner their circumstances 
could afford was served up at midday. At sun- 
set the colors were lowered, with another dis- 
charge of artillery. The night was spent in 
dancing ; and, though there was a lack of female 
partners to excite their gallantry, the voyageurs 



140 



ASTORIA. 



kept up the ball with true French spirit, until 
three o'clock in the morning. So passed the new 
year festival of 1812 at the infant colony of 
Astoria. 





CHAPTER XIII. 

E have followed up the fortunes of the 
maritime part of this enterprise to the 
shores of the Pacific, and have con- 
ducted the affairs of the embryo establishment to 
the opening of the new year ; let us now turn back 
to the adventurous band to whom was intrusted 
the land expedition, and who were to make their 
way to the mouth of the Columbia, up vast 
rivers, across trackless plains, and over the rug- 
ged barriers of the Rocky Mountains. 

The conduct of this expedition, as has been 
already mentioned, was assigned to Mr. Wilson 
Price Hunt, of Trenton, New Jersey, one of the 
partners of the company, who was ultimately to 
be at the head of the establishment at the mouth 
of the Columbia. He is represented as a man 
scrupulously upright and faithful in his dealings, 
amicable in his disposition, and of most accom- 
modating manners ; and his whole conduct will 
be found in unison with such a character. He 
was not practically experienced in the Indian 
trade ; that is to say, he had never made any 
expeditions of traffic into the heart of the wilder- 
ness, but he had been engaged in commerce at 
St. Louis, then a frontier settlement on the Mis- 
sissippi, where the chief branch of his business 



142 ASTORIA. 

had consisted in furnishing Indian traders with 
goods and equipments. In this way, he had 
acquired much knowledge of the trade at second 
hand, and of the various tribes, and the interior 
country over which it extended. 

Another of the partners, Mr. Donald M'Ken- 
zie, was associated with Mr. Hunt in the ex- 
pedition, and excelled on those points in which 
the other was deficient; for he had been ten 
years in the interior, in the service of the North- 
west Company, and valued himself on his knowl- 
edge of " woodcraft," and the strategy of Indian 
trade and Indian warfare. He had a frame 
seasoned to toils and hardships ; a spirit not 
to be intimidated, and was reputed to be a 
" remarkable shot ; " which of itself was sufficient 
to give him renown upon the frontier. 

Mr. Hunt and his coadjutor repaired, about 
the latter part of July, 1810, to Montreal, the 
ancient emporium of the fur trade, where every- 
thing requisite for the expedition could be pro- 
cured. One of the first objects was to recruit a 
complement of Canadian voyageurs from the dis- 
banded herd usually to be found loitering about 
the place. A degree of jockeyship, however, is 
required for this service, for a Canadian voyageur 
is as full of latent tricks and vice as a horse ; 
and when he makes the greatest external prom- 
ise, is prone to prove the greatest " take in." 
Beside, the Northwest Company, who maintained 
a long established control at Montreal, and knew 
the qualities of every voyageur, secretly inter- 
dicted the prime hands from engaging in this new 



THE TRADERS' CANOE. 143 

service ; so that, although liberal terras were 
offered, few presented themselves but such us 
were not worth having. 

From these Mr. Hunt engaged a number 
sufficient, as he supposed, for present purposes ; 
and, having laid in a supply of ammunition, pro- 
visions, and Indian goods, embarked all on board 
one of those great canoes at that time universally 
used by the fur traders for navigating the intri- 
cate and often-obstructed rivers. The canoe was 
between thirty and forty feet long, and several 
feet in width ; constructed of birch bark, sewed 
with fibres of the roots of the spruce tree, and 
daubed with resin of the pine, instead of tar. 
The cargo was made up in packages, weighing 
from ninety to one hundred pounds each, for the 
facility of loading and unloading, and of trans- 
portation at portages. The canoe itself, though 
capable of sustaining a freight of upwards of 
four tons, could readily be carried on men's 
shoulders. Canoes of this size are generally 
managed by eight or ten men, two of whom are 
picked veterans, who receive double wages, and 
are stationed, one at the bow and the other at 
the stern, to keep a look-out and to steer. They 
are termed the foreman and the steersman. The 
rest, who ply the paddles, are called middle men. 
When there is a favorable breeze, the canoe is 
occasionally navigated with a sail. 

The expedition took its regular departure, as 
usual, from St. Anne's, near the extremity of the 
island of Montreal, the great starting-place of the 
traders to the interior. Here stood the ancient 



U4: ASTORIA. 

chapel of St. Anne, the patroness of the Cana- 
dian voyageurs ; where they made confession, and 
offered up their vows, previous to departing on 
any hazardous expedition. The shrine of the 
saint was decorated with relics and votive offer- 
ings hung up by these superstitious beings, either 
to propitiate her favor, or in gratitude for some 
signal deliverance in the wilderness. It was the 
custom, too, of these devout vagabonds, after 
leaving the chapel, to have a grand carouse, in 
honor of the saint and for the prosperity of the 
voyage. In this part of their devotions, the 
crew of Mr. Hunt proved themselves by no 
means deficient. Indeed, he soon discovered that 
his recruits, enlisted at Montreal, were fit to vie 
with the ragged regiment of Falstaff. Some 
were able-bodied, but inexpert; others were 
expert, but lazy ; while a third class were expert 
and willing, but totally worn out, being broken- 
down veterans, incapable of toil. 

With this inefiicient crew he made his way up 
the Ottawa River, and by the ancient route of 
the fur traders, along a succession of small lakes 
and rivers, to Michilimackinac. Their progress 
was slow and tedious. Mr. Hunt was not ac- 
customed to the management of " voyageurs," 
and he had a crew admirably disposed to play 
the old soldier, and balk their work ; and ever 
ready to come to a halt, land, make a fire, put 
on the great pot, and smoke, and gossip, and sing 
by the hour. 

It was not until the 2 2d of July that they 
arrived at Mackinaw, situated on the island of 



MACKINAW. 145 

the same name, at the confluence of lakes Huron 
and Michigan. This famous old French trading- 
post continued to be a rallying point for a multi- 
farious and motley population. The inhabitants 
were amphibious in their habits, most of them 
being, or having been voyageurs or canoe men. 
It was the great place of arrival and departure 
of the southwest fur trade. Here the Mackinaw 
Company had established its principal post, from 
whence it communicated with the interior and 
with Montreal. Hence its various traders and 
trappers set out for their respective destinations 
about Lake Superior and its tributary waters, or 
for the Mississippi, the Arkansas, the Missouri, 
and the other regions of the west. Here, after 
the absence of a year, or more, they returned 
with their peltries, and settled their accounts ; 
the furs rendered in by them being transmitted 
in canoes from hence to Montreal. Mackinaw 
was, therefore, for a great part of the year, very 
scantily peopled ; but at certain seasons the 
traders arrived from all points, with their crews 
of voyageurs, and the place swarmed like a hive. 
Mackinaw, at that time, was a mere village, 
stretching along a small bay, with a fine broad 
beach in front of its principal row of houses, and 
dominated by the old fort, which crowned an im- 
pending height. The beach was a kind of public 
promenade, where were displayed all the vagaries 
of a seaport on the arrival of a fleet from a long 
cruise. Here voyageurs frolicked away their 
wages, fiddling and dancing in the booths and 
cabins, buying all kinds of knick-knacks, dressing 

10 



14:Q ASTORIA. 

themselves out finely, and parading up and down, 
like arrant braggarts and coxcombs. Sometimes 
they met with rival coxcombs in the young 
Indians from the opposite shore, who would ap- 
pear 0!i the beach painted and decorated in 
fantastic style, and would saunter up and down, 
to be gazed at and admired, perfectly satisfied 
that they eclipsed their pale-faced competitors. 

Now and then a chance party of " North- 
westers " appeared at Mackinaw from the ren- 
dezvous at Fort William. These held them- 
selves up as the chivalry of the fur trade. 
They were men of iron ; proof against cold 
weather, hard fare, and perils of all kinds. 
Some would wear the Northwest button, and a 
formidable dirk, and assume something of a 
military air. They generally wore feathers in 
their hats, and affected the " brave." " Je suis 
un homme du nord ! " — "I am a man of the 
north," — one of these swelling fellows would ex- 
claim, sticking his arras akimbo and ruffling by 
the South westers, whom he regarded with great 
contempt, as men softened by mild climates and 
the luxurious fare of bread and bacon, and whom 
he stigmatized with the inglorious name of pork- 
eaters. The superiority assumed by these vaih- 
glorious swaggerers was, in general, tacitly ad- 
mitted. Indeed, some of them had acquired 
great notoriety for deeds of hardihood and 
courage ; for the fur trade had its heroes, whose 
names resounded throughout the wilderness. 

Such was Mackinaw at the time of which we 
are treating. It now, doubtless, presents a totally 



DIFFICULTIES OF RECRUITING. 147 

different aspect. The fur companies no longer 
assemble there ; the navigation of the lakes is 
carried on by steamboats and various shipping, 
and the race of traders, and trappers, and voy- 
ageurs, and Indian dandies, have vapored out 
their brief hour and disappeared. Such changes 
does the lapse of a handful of years make in 
this ever-changing country. 

At this place Mr. Hunt remained for some 
time, to complete his assortment of Indian goods, 
and to increase his number of voyageurs, as well 
as to engage some of a more efficient character 
than those enlisted at Montreal. 

And now commenced another game of jockey- 
ship. There were able and efficient men in 
abundance at Mackinaw, but for several days not 
one presented himself If offiirs were made to 
any, they were listened to with a shake of the 
head. Should any one seem inclined to enlist, 
there were officious idlers and busy-bodies, of that 
class who are ever ready to dissuade others from 
any enterprise in which they themselves have no 
concern. These would pull him by the sleeve, 
take him on one side, and murmur in his ear, or 
would suggest difficulties outright. 

It was objected that the expedition would 
have to navigate unknown rivers, and pass 
through howling wildernesses infested by sav- 
age tribes, who had already cut off the unfor- 
tunate voyageurs that had ventured among them ; 
that it was to climb the Rocky Mountains and 
descend into desolate and famished regions, 
where the traveller was often obliged to sub- 



148 ASTORIA. 

sist on grasshoppers and crickets, or to kill his 
own horse for food. 

At length one man was hardy enough to en- 
gage, and he was used like a " stool-pigeon," to 
decoy others ; but several days elapsed before 
any more could be prevailed upon to join him. 
A few then came to terras. It was desirable to 
engage them for five years, but some refused to 
engage for more than three. Then they must 
have part of their pay in advance, which was 
readily granted. When they had pocketed the 
araouht, and squandered it in regales or in outfits, 
they began to talk of pecuniary obligations at 
Mackinaw, which must be discharged before they 
would be free to depart; or engagements with 
other persons, which were only to be canceled 
by a " reasonable consideration." 

It was in vain to argue or remonstrate. The 
money advanced had already been sacked and 
spent, and must be lost and the recruits left 
behind, unless they could be freed from their 
debts and engagements. Accordingly, a fine 
was paid for one; a judgment for another; a 
tavern bill for the third , and almost all had to 
be bought off from some prior engagement, either 
real or pretended. 

Mr. Hunt groaned in spirit at the incessant 
and unreasonable demands of these worthies 
upon his purse ; yet with all this outlay of 
funds, the number recruited was but scanty, and 
many of the most desirable still held themselves 
aloof, and were not to be caught by a golden 
bait. With these he tried another temptation. 



A NEW PARTNER. 149 

Among the recruits who had enlisted he dis- 
tributed feathers and ostrich phimes. These 
they put in their hats, and thus figured about 
Mackinaw, assuming airs of vast importance, as 
" voyageurs in a new company, that was to 
eclipse the Northwest. The effect was complete. 
A French Canadian is too vain and mercurial a 
being to withstand the finery and ostentation of 
the feather. Numbers immediately pressed into 
the service. One must have an ostrich plume ; 
another, a white feather with a red end ; a third, 
a bunch of cocks' tails. Thus all paraded about, 
in vainglorious style, more delighted with the 
feathers in their hats than with the money in 
their pockets ; and considering themselves fully 
equal to the boastful " men of the north." 

While thus recruiting the number of rank and 
file, Mr. Hunt was joined by a person whom he 
had invited, by letter, to engage as a partner in 
the expedition. This was Mr. Ramsay Crook«, 
a young man, a native of Scotland, who had 
served under the Northwest Company, and been 
engaged in trading expeditions upon his in- 
dividual account, among the tribes of the Mis- 
souri. Mr. Hunt knew him personally, and had 
conceived a high and merited opinion of his 
judgment, enterprise, and integrity ; he was 
rejoiced, therefore, when the latter consented to 
accompany him. Mr. Crooks, however, drew 
from experience a picture of the dangers to 
which they would be subjected, and urged the 
importance of going with a considerable force. 
In ascending the upper Missouri they would have 



loO ASTORIA. 

to pass through the country of the Sioux Indians, 
who had manifested repeated hostility to the 
white traders, and rendered their expeditions 
extremely perilous ; firing upon them from the 
river banks as they passed beneath in their 
boats, and attacking them in their encampments. 
Mr. Crooks himself, when voyaging in company 
with another trader of the name of M'Lellan, 
had been interrupted by these marauders, and 
had considered himself fortunate in escaping 
down the river without loss of life or property, 
but with a total abandonment of his trading 
voyage. 

Should they be fortunate enough to pass through 
the country of the Sioux without molestation, they 
would have another tribe still more savage and 
warlike beyond, and deadly foes of the white men. 

These were the Blackfeet Indians, who ranged 
over a wide extent of country which they would 
have to traverse. Under all these circumstances, 
it was thought advisable to augment the party 
considerably. It already exceeded the number 
of thirty, to which it had originally been limited ; 
but it was determined, on arriving at St. Louis, 
to increase it to the number of sixty. 

These matters being arranged, they prepared to 
embark ; but the embarkation of a crew of Cana- 
dian voyageurs, on a distant expedition, is not so 
easy a matter as might be imagined ; especially 
of such a set of vainglorious fellows with money 
in both pockets, and cocks' tails in their hats. 
Like sailors, the Canadian voyageurs generally 
preface a long cruise with a carouse. They have 



EMBARKATION OF CANADIAN VOYAGEURS. 151 

their cronies, their brothers, their cousins, their 
wives, their sweethearts, all to be entertained at 
their expense. They feast, they fiddle, they 
drink, they sing, they dance, they frolic and fight, 
until they are all as raad as so many drunken 
Indians. The publicans are all obedience to their 
commands, never hesitating to let them run up 
scores without limit, knowing that, when their 
own money is expended, the purses of their em- 
ployers must answer for the bill, or the voyage 
must be delayed. Neither was it possible, at that 
time, to remedy the matter at Mackinaw. In 
that amphibious community there was always a 
propensity to wrest the laws in favor of riotous 
or mutinous boatmen. It was necessary, also, to 
keep the recruits in good humor, seeing the nov- 
elty and danger of the service into which they 
were entering, and the ease with which they 
might at any time escape it, by jumping into a 
canoe and going down the stream. 

Such were the scenes that beset Mr. Hunt, and 
gave him a foretaste of the difficulties of his com- 
mand. The little cabarets and sutlers' shops 
along the bay resounded with the scraping of 
fiddles, with snatches of old French songs, with 
Indian whoops and yells, while every plumed and 
feathered vagabond had his troop of loving cousins 
and comrades at his heels. It was with the ut- 
most difficulty they could be extricated from the 
clutches of the publicans, and the embraces of 
their pot companions, who followed them to the 
water's edge with many a hug, a kiss on each 
3heek, and a maudlin benediction in Canadian 
French. 



152 



ASTORIA. 



It was about the 12th of August that they left 
Mackinaw, and pursued the usual route by Green 
Bay, Fox and Wisconsin rivers, to Prairie du 
Chien, and thence down the Mississippi to St. 
Louis, were they landed on the third of Septem- 
ber. 





CHAPTER XIV. 

T. Louis, whicli is situated on the right 
bank of the Mississippi River, a few miles 
below the mouth of the IMissouri, was, 
at that time, a frontier settlement, and the last 
fitting-out place for the Indian trade of the South- 
west. It possessed a motley population, composed 
of the Creole descendants of the original French 
colonists ; the keen traders from the Atlantic 
States ; the backwoodsmen of Kentucky and Ten- 
nessee ; the Indians and half-breeds of the prairies ; 
together with a singular aquatic race that had 
grown up from the navigation of the rivers — the 
" the boatmen of the Mississippi ; " who possessed 
habits, manners, and almost a language, peculiarly 
their own, and strongly technical. They, at that 
time, were extremely numerous, and conducted 
the chief navigation and commerce of the Ohio 
and the Mississippi, as the voyageurs did of the 
Canadian waters ; but, like them, their con- 
sequence and characteristics are rapidly vanishing 
before the all pervading intrusion of steamboats. 
The old French houses engaged in the Indian 
trade had gathered round them a train of depend- 
ents, mongrel Indians, and mongrel Frenchmen, 
who had intermarried with Indians. These they 
employed in their various expeditions by land and 



154 ASTORIA. 

water. Various individuals of other countries 
had, of late years, pushed the trade further into 
the interior, to the upper waters of the IVIissouri, 
and had swelled the number of these liangers-on. 
Several of these traders had, two or three years 
f)reviously, formed themselves into a company, 
composed of twelve partners, with a capital of 
about forty thousand dollars, called the Missouri 
Fur Company ; the object of which was, to estab- 
lish posts along the upper part of that river, and 
monopolize the trade. The leading partner of 
this company was Mr. Manuel Lisa, a Spaniard 
by birth, and a man of bold and enterprising 
character, who had ascended the Missouri almost 
to its source, and made himself well acquainted 
and popular with several of its tribes. By his 
exertions, trading posts had been established, in 
1808, in the Sioux country, and among the Ari- 
cara and Mandan tribes ; and a principal one, 
under Mr. Henry, one of the partners, at the forks 
of the Missouri. This company had in its employ 
about two hundred and fifty men, partly American 
hunters, and partly Creoles and Canadian voy- 
ageurs. 

All these circumstances combined to produce a 
population at St. Louis even still more motley 
than that at Mackinaw. Here were to be seen, 
about the river banks, the hectoring, extravagant, 
bragging boatmen of the Mississippi, with the gay, 
grimacing, singing, good-humored Canadian voy- 
ageurs. Vagrant Indians, of various tribes, loi- 
tered about the streets. Now and then a stark 
Kentucky hunter, in leathern hunting-dress, with 



ST. LOUIS. — ANOTHER ADDITION. 155 

rifle on shoulder and knife in belt, strode along. 
Here and there were now brick houses and shops, 
just set up by bustling, di'iviug, and eager men 
of traffic from the Atlantic States ; while, on the 
other hand, the old French mansions, with open 
casements, still retained the easy, indolent air of 
the original colonists ; and now and then the scrap- 
ing of a fiddle, a strain of an ancient French song, 
or the sound of billiard balls, showed that the 
happy Gallic turn for gayety and amusement still 
lingered about the place. 

Such was St. Louis at the time of ]Mi\ Hunt's 
arrival there, and the appearance of a new fur 
company, with ample funds at its command, pro- 
duced a strono; sensation among: the Indian traders 
of the place, and awakened keen jealousy and 
opposition on the part of the Missouri Company. 
Mr. Hunt proceeded to strengthen himself against 
all competition. For this purpose, he secured to 
the interests of the association another of those 
enterprising men, who had been engaged in in- 
dividual traffic with the tribes of the IMissomi. 
This was a Mr. Joseph Miller, a gentleman well 
educated and well informed, and of a respectable 
family of Baltimore. He had been an officer in 
the army of the United States, but had resigned 
in disgust, on being refused a furlough, and had 
taken to trapping beaver and trading among the 
Indians. He was easily induced by Mr. Hunt to 
join as a partner, and was considered by him, on ac- 
count of his education and acquirements, and his 
experience in Indian trade, a valuable addition to 
the company. 



156 ASTORIA. 

Several additional men were likewise enlisted 
at St. Louis, some as boatmen, and others as 
hunters. These last were engaged, not merely 
to kill game for provisions, but also, and indeed 
chiefly, to trap beaver and other animals of rich 
furs, valuable in the trade. They enlisted on 
different terms. Some were to have a fixed salary 
of three hundred dollars ; others were to be fitted 
out and maintained at the expense of the company, 
and were to hunt and trap on shares. 

As Mr. Hunt met with much opposition on the 
part of rival traders, especially the Missouri Fur 
Company, it took him some weeks to complete his 
preparations. The delays which he had previously 
experienced at Montreal, Mackinaw, and on the 
way, added to those at St. Louis, had thrown him 
much behind his original calculations, so that it 
would be impossible to effect his voyage up the 
Missouri in the present year. This river, flowing 
from high and cold latitudes, and through wide 
and open plains, exposed to chilling blasts, freezes 
early. The winter may be dated from the first 
of November ; there was every prospect, there- 
fore, that it would be closed with ice long before 
Mr. Hunt could reach its upper waters. To avoid, 
however, the expense of wintering at St. Louis, 
he determined to push up the river as far as pos- 
sible, to some point above the settlements, where 
game was plenty, and where his whole party could 
be subsisj:ed by hunting, until the breaking up of 
the ice in the spring should permit them to resume 
their voyage. 

Accordingly, on the twenty-first of October he 



NAVIGATING TEE MISSOVRL 157 

took his departure from St. Louis. His party- 
was distributed in three boats. One was the 
barge which he had brought from Mackinaw ; an- 
other was of a larger size, such as was formerly 
used in navigating the Mohawk River, and known 
by the generic name of the Schenectady barge ; 
the other was a large keel boat, at that time the 
grand conveyance on the IVIississippi. 

In this way they set out from St. Louis, in 
buoyant spirits, and soon arrived at the mouth of 
the IVIissouri. This vast river, three thousand 
miles in length, and which, with its tributary 
streams, drains such an immense extent of country, 
was as yet but casually and imperfectly navigated 
by the adventurous bark of the fur trader. A 
steamboat had never yet stemmed its turbulent 
current. Sails were but of casual assistance, for 
it required a strong wind to conquer the force of 
the stream. The main dependence was on bodily 
strength and manual dexterity. The boats, in 
general, had to be propelled by oars and setting 
poles, or drawn by the hand and by grappling 
hooks from one root or overhanging tree to an- 
other ; or towed by the long cordelle, or towing 
line, where the shores were sufficiently clear of 
woods and thickets to permit the men to pass 
along the banks. 

During this slow and tedious progress the boat 
would be exposed to frequent danger from float- 
ing trees and great masses of drift-wood, or to be 
impaled upon snags and sawyers ; that is to say, 
sunken trees, presenting a jagged or pointed end 
above the surface of the water. As the channel 



158 ASTORIA. 

of the river frequently shifted from side to side 
according to the bends and sand-banks, the boat 
had, in the same way, to advance in a zigzag 
course. Often a part of the crew would have to 
leap into the water at the shallows, and wade 
along with the towing line, while their comrades 
on board toilfuUy assisted with oar and setting 
pole. Sometimes the boat would seem to be re- 
tained motionless, as if spell-bound, opposite some 
point round which the current set with violence, 
and where the utmost labor scarce effected any 
visible progress. 

On these occasions it was that the merits of 
the Canadian voyageurs came into full action. 
Patient of toil, not to be disheartened by impedi- 
ments and disappointments, fertile in expedients, 
and versed in every mode of humoring and con- 
quering the wayward current, they would ply 
every exertion, sometimes in the boat, sometimes 
on shore, sometimes in the water, however cold ; 
always alert, always in good humor ; and, should 
they at any time flag or grow weary, one of their 
popular boat songs, chanted by a veteran oarsman, 
and responded to in chorus, acted as a never-fail- 
ing restorative. 

By such assiduous and persevering labor they 
made their way about four hundred and fifty 
miles up the Missouri, by the 16th of November, 
to the mouth of the Nodowa. As this was a 
good hunting country, and as the season was 
rapidly advancing, they determined to establish 
their winter quarters at this place ; and, in fact, 
two days after they had come to a halt, the river 
closed just above their encampment. 



MORE ADDITIONS TO THE PARTY. 159 

The party had not been long at this place 
when they were joined by Mr. Robert M'Lellan, 
another trader of the INIissouri; the same who 
had been associated with Mr. Crooks in the un- 
fortunate expedition in which they had been 
intercepted by the Sioux Indians, and obliged to 
make a rapid retreat down the river. 

M'Lellan was a remarkable man. He had 
been a partisan under General Wayne, in his 
Indian wars, where he had distinguished himself 
by his fiery spirit and reckless daring, and mar- 
velous stories were told of his exploits. His 
appearance answered to his character. His frame 
was meagre, but muscular; showing strength, 
activity, and iron firmness. His eyes were dark, 
deep-set, and piercing. He was restless, fearless, 
but of impetuous and sometimes ungovernable 
temper. He had been invited by IVIr. Hunt to 
enroll himself as a partner, and gladly consented ; 
being pleased with the thoughts of passing with 
a powerful force through the country of the 
Sioux, and perhaps having an opportunity of 
revenging himself upon that lawless tribe for 
their past offenses. 

Another recruit that joined the camp at No- 
dowa deserves equal mention. This was John 
Day, a hunter from the back-woods of Vu-ginia, 
who had been several years on the Missouri in 
the service of Mr. Crooks, and of other traders. 
He was about forty years of age, six feet two 
inches high, straight as an Indian ; with an elas- 
tic step as if he trod on springs, and a handsome, 
open, manly countenance. It was his boast, that 



160 ASTORIA. 

in liis younger clays, nothing could hurt or daunt 
him ; but he had " lived too fast," and injured his 
constitution by his excesses. Still he was strong 
of hand, bold of heart, a prime woodman, and an 
almost unerring shot. He had the frank spirit 
of a Virginian, and the rough heroism of a 
pioneer of the west. 

The party were now brought to a halt for 
several months. They were in a country aboun- 
ding with deer and wild turkeys, so that there 
was no stint of provisions, and every one ap- 
peared cheerful and contented. Mr. Hunt de- 
termined to avail himself of this interval to 
return to St. Louis and obtain a reinforcement. 
He wished to procure an interpreter, acquainted 
with the language of the Sioux, as, from all 
accounts, he apprehended difficulties in passing 
through the country of that nation. He felt the 
necessity, also, of having a greater number of 
hunters, not merely to keep up a supply of pro- 
visions throughout their long and arduous expedi- 
tion, but also as a protection and defense, in case 
of Indian hostilities. For such service the Cana- 
dian voyageurs were little to be depended upon, 
fighting not being a part of their profession. The 
proper kind of men were American hunters, ex- 
perienced in savage life and savage warfare, and 
possessed of the true game spirit of the west. 

Leaving, therefore, the encampment in charge 
of the other partners, Mr. Hunt set off on foot 
on the first of January (1810), for St Louis. 
He was accompanied by eight men as far as Fort 
Osage, about one hundred and fifty miles below 



HUNTS ARRIVAL AT ST. LOUIS. 



161 



Nodowa. Here he procured a couple of horses, 
and proceeded on the remainder of his journey 
with two men, sending the other six back to the 
encampment. He arrived at St. Louis on the 
20th of January. 



11 





CHAPTER XV. 




N this his second visit to St. Louis, Mr. 
Hunt was again imiDeded in his plans 
by the opposition of the Missouri Fur 
Company. The affairs of that company were, at 
this time, in a very dubious state. During the 
preceding year, their princij^al establishment at 
the forks of the Missouri had been so much 
harassed by the Blackfeet Indians, that its com- 
mander, Mr. Henry, one of the partners, had 
been compelled to abandon the post and cross 
the Rocky Mountains, with the intention of fix- 
ing himself upon one of the upper branches of 
the Columbia. What had become of him and 
his party was unknown. The most intense anx- 
iety was felt concerning them, and apprehensions 
that they might have been cut off by the savages. 
At the time of Mr. Hunt's arrival at St. Louis, 
the Missouri Company were fitting out an ex- 
pedition to go in quest of Mr. Henry. It was 
to be conducted by Mr. Manuel Lisa, the enter- 
prising partner already mentioned. 

There being thus two expeditions on foot at 
the same moment, an unusual demand was occa- 
sioned for hunters and voyageurs, who according- 
profited by the circumstance, and stipulated for 
high terms. Mr. Hunt found a keen and subtle 



PIERRE D ORION. 163 

competitor in Lisa, and was obliged to secure his 
recruits by liberal advances of pay, and by other 
pecuniary indulgences. 

The greatest difficulty was to procure the Sioux 
interpreter. There was but one man to be met 
with at St. Louis who was fitted for the purpose, 
but to secure him would require much manage- 
ment. The individual in question was a half- 
breed, named Pierre Dorion ; and, as he figures 
hereafter in this narrative, and is, withal, a 
striking specimen of the hybrid race on the fron- 
tier, we shall give a few particulars concerning 
him. Pierre was the son of Dorion, the French 
interpreter, who accompanied Messrs. Lewis and 
Clarke in their famous exploring expedition 
across the Rocky Mountains. Old Dorion was 
one of those French Creoles, descendants of the 
ancient Canadian stock, who abound on the 
western frontier, and amalgamate or cohabit with 
the savages. He had sojourned among various 
tribes, and perhaps left progeny among them all ; 
but his regular, or habitual wife, was a Sioux 
squaw. By her he had a hopeful brood of half- 
breed sons, of whom Pierre was one. The do- 
mestic affairs of old Dorion were conducted on 
the true Indian plan. Father and sons would 
occasionally get drunk together, and then the 
cabin was a scene of ruffian brawl and fighting, 
in the course of which the old Frenchman was 
apt to get soundly belabored by his mongrel off- 
spring. In a furious scuffle of the kind, one of 
the sons got the old man upon the ground, and 
was upon the point of scalping him. " Hold ! 



164 AST OEM. 

my son," cried the old fellow, in imploring ac- 
cents, " you are too brave, too honorable to scalp 
your father!" This last appeal touched the 
French side of the half-breed's heart, so he suf- 
fered the old man to wear his scalp unharmed. 

Of this hopefiil stock was Pierre Dorion, the 
man whom it was now the desire of Mr. Hunt to 
engage as an interpreter. He had been employed 
in that capacity by the Missouri Fur Company 
during the preceding year, and conducted their 
traders in safety through the different tribes of 
the Sioux. He had proved himself faithful and 
serviceable while sober ; but the love of liquor, 
in which he had been nurtured and brought up, 
would occasionally break out, and with it the 
savage side of his character. 

It was his love of liquor which had embroiled 
him with the Missouri Company. While in their 
service at Fort Mandan, on the frontier, he had 
been seized with a whiskey mania ; and, as the 
beverage was only to be procured at the com- 
pany's store, it had been charged in his account 
at the rate of ten dollars a quart. This item had 
ever remained unsettled, and a matter of furious 
dispute, the mere mention of which was sufficient 
to put him in a passion. 

The moment it was discovered by Mr. Lisa 
that Pierre Dorion was in treaty with the new 
and rival association, he endeavored, by threats 
as well as promises, to prevent his engaging in 
their service. His promises might, perhaps, have 
prevailed ; but his threats, which related to the 
whiskey debt, only served to drive Pierre into the 



DISAFFECTION AND DESERTION. 165 

opposite ranks. Still he took advantage of this 
competition for his services to stand out with Mr. 
Hunt on the most advantageous terms, and, after 
a negotiation of nearly two weeks, capitulated to 
serve in the expedition, as hunter and interpreter, 
at the rate of three hundred dollars a year, two 
hundred of which were to be paid in advance. 

When Mr. Hunt had got everything ready for 
leaving St. Louis, new difficulties arose. Five of 
the American hunters from the encampment at 
Nodowa, suddenly made their appearance. They 
alleged that they had been ill treated by the 
partners at the encampment, and had come off 
clandestinely, in consequence of a dispute. It 
was useless at the present moment, and under 
present circumstances, to attempt any compulsory 
measures with these deserters. Two of them 
Mr. Hunt prevailed upon, by mild means, to 
return with him. The rest refused; nay, what 
was worse, they spread Such reports of the hard- 
ships and dangers to be apprehended in the course 
of the expedition, that they struck a panic into 
those hunters who had recently engaged at St. 
Louis, and, when the hour of departure arrived, 
all but one refused to embark. It was in vain 
to plead or remonstrate ; they shouldered their 
rifles and turned their backs upon the expedition, 
and Mr. Hunt was fain to put off from shore 
with the single hunter and a number of voy- 
ageurs whom he had engaged. Even Pierre 
Dorion, at the last moment, refused to enter the 
boat until Mr. Hunt consented to take his squaw 
and two children on board also. But the tissue 



166 ASTORIA. 

of perplexities, on account of this worthy individ- 
ual, did not end here. 

Among the various persons who were about to 
proceed up the Missouri with Mr. Hunt, were 
two scientific gentlemen : one Mr. John Brad- 
bury, a man of mature age, but great enterprise 
and personal activity, who had been sent out by 
the Linnsean Society of Liverpool, to make a col- 
lection of American plants; the other, a Mr. 
Nuttall, likewise an Englishman, younger in 
years, who has since made himself known as the 
author of " Travels in Arkansas," and a work on 
the " Genera of American Plants." Mr. Hunt 
had offered them the protection and facilities of 
his party, in their scientific researches up the 
Missouri. As they were not ready to depart at 
the moment of embarkation, they put their trunks 
on board of the boat, but remained at St. Louis 
until the next day, for the arrival of the post, in- 
tending to join the expedition at St. Charles, a 
short distance above the mouth of the Missouri. 

The same evening, however, they learned that 
a writ had been issued against Pierre Dorion for 
his whiskey debt, by Mr. Lisa, as agent of the 
Missouri Company, and that it was the intention 
to entrap the mongrel linguist on his arrival at 
St. Charles. Upon hearing this, Mr. Bradbury 
and Mr. Nuttall set off a little after midnight, by 
land, got ahead of the boat as it was ascending 
the Missouri, before its arrival at St. Charles, 
and gave Pierre Dorion warning of the legal 
toil prepared to ensnare him. The knowing 
Pierre immediately landed and took to the woods, 



PIERRE'S TROUBLES. 167 

followed by his squaw laden with their papooses, 
and a large bundle containing their most precious 
effects, promising to rejoin the party some distance 
above St. Charles. There seemed little depen- 
dence to be placed upon the promises of a loose 
adventurer of the kind, who was at the very 
time playing an evasive game with his former 
employers ; who had already received two-thirds 
of his year's pay, and his rifle on his shoulder, 
his family and worldly fortune at his heels, and 
the wild woods before him. There was no alter- 
native, however, and it was hoped his pique 
against his old employers would render him faith- 
ful to his new ones. 

The party reached St. Charles in the afternoon, 
but the harpies of the law looked in vain for 
their expected prey. The boats resumed their 
course on the following morning, and had not 
proceeded far when Pierre Dorion made his ap- 
pearance on the shore. He was gladly taken on 
board, but he came without his squaw. They 
had quarreled in the night ; Pierre had adminis- 
tered the Indian discijDline of the cudgel, where- 
upon she had taken to the woods, with their 
children and all their worldly goods. Pierre evi- 
dently was deeply grieved and disconcerted at the 
loss of his wife and his knapsack, whereupon 
Mr. Hunt dispatched one of the Canadian voy- 
ageurs in search of the fugitive ; and the whole 
party, after proceeding a few miles further, en- 
camped on an island to wait his return. The 
Canadian rejoined the party, but without the 
squaw ; and Pierre Dorion passed a solitary and 



168 ASTORIA. 

anxious night, bitterly regretting his indiscretion 
in having exercised his conjugal authority so near 
home. Before daybreak, however, a well-known 
voice reached his ears from the opposite shore. 
It was his repentant spouse, who had been wan- 
dering the woods all night in quest of the party, 
and had at length descried it by its fires. A 
boat was dispatched for her, the interesting family 
was once more united, and Mr. Hunt now flat- 
tered himself that his perplexities with Pierre 
Dorion were at an end. 

Bad weather, very heavy rains, and an unus- 
ually early rise in the Missouri, rendered the as- 
cent of the river toilsome, slow, and dangerous. 
The rise of the Missouri does not generally take 
place until the month of May or June : the 
present swelling of the river must have been 
caused by a freshet in some of its more southern 
branches. It could not have been the great an- 
nual flood, as the higher branches must still have 
been ice-bound. 

And here we cannot but pause, to notice the 
admirable arrangement of nature, by which the 
annual swellings of the various great rivers which 
empty themselves into the Mississippi, have been 
made to precede each other at considerable inter- 
vals. Thus, the flood of the Red River precedes 
that of the Arkansas by a month. The Arkan- 
sas, also, rising in a much more southern latitude 
than the Missouri, takes the lead of it in its 
annual excess, and its superabundant waters are 
disgorged and disposed of long before the break- 
ing up of the icy barriers of the north ; other- 



DANIEL BOONE. 169 

wise, did all these mighty streams rise simulta- 
neously, and discharge their vernal floods into 
the Mississippi, an inundation would be the con- 
sequence, that would submerge and devastate all 
the lower country. 

On the afternoon of the third day, January 
17th, the boats touched at Chare tte, one of the 
old villages founded by the original French col- 
onists. Here they met with Daniel Boone, the 
renowned patriarch of Kentucky, who had kept 
in the advance of civilization, and on the borders 
of the wilderness, still leading a hunter's life, 
though now in his eighty-fifth year. He had 
but recently returned from a hunting and trap- 
ping expedition, and had brought nearly sixty 
beaver skins as trophies of his skill. The old 
man was still erect in form, strong in limb, and 
unflinching in spirit, and as he stood on the river 
bank, watching the departure of an expedition 
destined to traverse the wilderness to the very 
shores of the Pacific, very probably felt a throb 
of his old pioneer spirit, impelling him to shoul- 
der his rifle and join the adventurous band. 
Boone flourished several years after this meeting, 
in a vigorous old age, the Nestor of hunters and 
backwoodsmen ; and died, full of sylvan honor 
and renown, in 1818, in his ninety-second year. 

The next morning early, as the party were 
yet encamped at the mouth of a small stream, 
they were visited by another of these heroes of 
the wilderness, one John Colter, who had accom- 
panied Lewis and Clarke in their memorable ex- 
pedition. He had recently made one of those 



170 ASTORIA. 

vast internal voyages so characteristic of this 
fearless class of men, and of the immense regions 
over which they hold their lonely wanderings ; 
having come from the head waters of the Mis- 
souri to St. Louis in a small canoe. This dis- 
tance of three thousand miles he had accom- 
plished in thirty days. Colter kept with the 
party all the morning. He had many particu- 
lars to give them concerning the Blackfeet In- 
dians, a restless and predatory tribe, who had 
conceived an implacable hostility to the white 
men, in consequence of one of their warriors 
having been killed by Captain Lewis, while at- 
tempting to steal horses. Through the country 
infested by these savages the expedition would 
have to proceed, and Colter was urgent in reiter- 
ating the precautions that ought to be observed 
respecting them. He had himself experienced 
their vindictive cruelty, and his story deserves 
particular citation, as showing the hairbreadth 
adventures to which these solitary rovers of the 
wilderness are exjDosed. 

Colter, with the hardihood of a regular trap- 
per, had cast himself loose from the party of 
Lewis and Clarke in the very heart of the wil- 
derness, and had remained to trap beaver alone 
on the head waters of the Missouri. Here he 
fell in with another lonely trapper, like himself, 
named Potts, and they agreed to keep together. 
They were in the very region of the terrible 
Blackfeet, at that time thirsting to revenge the 
death of their companion, and knew that they 
had to expect no mercy at their hands. They 



AFFRAY WITH THE BLACKFEET. 171 

were obliged to keep concealed all day in the 
woody margins of the rivers, setting their traps 
after nightfall and taking them up before day- 
break. It was running a fearful risk for the 
sake of a few beaver skins ; but such in the life 
of the trapper. 

They were on a branch of the IVIissouri called 
Jefferson's Fork, and had set their traps at night, 
about six miles up a small river that emptied into 
the fork. Early in the morning they ascended 
the river in a canoe, to examine the traps. The 
banks on each side were high and perpendicular, 
and cast a shade over the stream. As they were 
softly paddling along, they heard the trampling 
of many feet upon the banks. Colter immedi- 
ately gave the alarm of " Indians ! " and was for 
instant retreat. Potts scoffed at him for being 
frightened by the trampling of a herd of buffa- 
loes. Colter checked his uneasiness and paddled 
forward. They had not gone much further when 
frightful whoops and yells burst forth from each 
side of the river, and several hundred Indians 
appeared on either bank. Signs were made to the 
unfortunate trappers to come on shore. They 
were obliged to comj^ly. Before they could get 
out of their canoes, a savage seized the rifle be- 
longing to Potts. Colter sprang on shore, 
wrested the weapon from the hands of the Indian, 
and restored it to his companion, who was still in 
the canoe, and immediately pushed into the 
stream. There was the sharp twang of a bow, 
and Potts cried out that he was wounded. Col- 
ter urged him to come on shore and submit, as 



172 ASTORIA. 

his only chance for life ; but the other knew 
there was no prospect of mercy, and determined 
to die game. Leveling his rifle, he shot one of 
the savages dead on the spot. The next moment 
he fell himself, pierced with innumerable arrows. 
The vengeance of the savages now turned 
upon Colter. He was stripped naked, and, hav- 
ing some knowledge of the Blackfoot language, 
overheard a consultation as to the mode of dis- 
patcliing him, so as to derive the greatest amuse- 
ment from his death. Some were for setting 
him up as a mark, and having a trial of skill at 
his expense. The chief, however, was for nobler 
sport. He seized Colter by the shoulder, and 
demanded if he could run fast. The unfortunate 
trapper was too well acquainted with Indian cus- 
toms not to comprehend the drift of the question. 
He knew he was to run for his life, to furnish a 
kind of human hunt to his persecutors. Though 
in reality he was noted among his brother hun- 
ters for swiftness of foot, he assured the chief 
that he was a very bad runner. His stratagem 
gained him some vantage ground. He was led 
by the chief into the prairie, about four hundred 
yards from the main body of savages, and then 
turned loose to save himself if he could. A 
tremendous yell let him know that the whole 
pack of bloodhounds were off in full cry. Col- 
ter flew rather than ran ; he was astonished at 
his own speed ; but he had six miles of prairie 
to traverse before he should reach the Jefferson 
Fork of the Missouri ; how could he hope to 
hold out such a distance with the fearful odds of 



A RUN FOR LIFE. 173 

several hundred to one against him ! The plain, 
too abounded with the prickly pear, wliich 
wounded his naked feet. Still he fled on, dread- 
ing each moment to hear the twang of a bow, 
and to feel an arrow quivering at his heart. He 
did not even dare to look round, lest he should 
lose an inch of that distance on which his life 
depended. He had run nearly half way across 
the plain when the sound of pursuit grew some- 
what fainter, and he ventured to turn his head. 
The main body of his pursuers were a consider- 
able distance behind ; several of the fastest run- 
ners were scattered in the advance ; while a 
swift-footed warrior, armed with a spear, was not 
more than a hundred yards behind him. 

Inspired with new hope. Colter redoubled his 
exertions, but strained himself to such a degree, 
that the blood gushed from his mouth and nos- 
trils, and streamed down his breast. He arrived 
within a mile of the river. The sound of foot- 
steps gathered upon him. A glance behind 
showed his pursuer within twenty yards, and 
preparing to launch his spear. Stopping short 
he turned round and spread out his arms. The 
savage, confounded by this sudden action, at- 
tempted to stop and hurl his spear, but fell in 
the very act. His spear stuck in the ground, 
and the shaft broke in his hand. Colter plucked 
up the pointed part, pinned the savage to the 
earth, and continued liis flight. The Indians, as 
they arrived at their slaughtered companion, 
stopped to howl over him. Colter made the 
most of this precious delay, gained the skirt ot 



174 ASTORIA. 

cotton-wood bordering the river, dashed through 
it, and pkmged into the stream. He swam to a 
neighboring island, against the upper end of 
which the driftwood had lodged in snch quanti- 
ties as to form a natural raft ; under this he 
dived, and swam below water until he succeeded 
in gettmg a breathing place between the float- 
ing trunks of trees, whose branches and bushes 
formed a covert several feet above the level of 
the water. He had scarcely drawn breath after 
all his toils, when he heard his pursuers on the 
river bank, whooping and yelling like so many 
fiends. They plunged in the river, and swam 
to the raft. The heart of Colter almost died 
within him as he saw them, through the chinks 
of his concealment, passing and repassing, and 
seeking for him in all directions. They at length 
gave up the search, and he began to rejoice in 
his escape, when the idea presented itself that 
they might set the raft on fire. Here was a 
new source of horrible apprehension, in which 
he remained until nightfall. Fortunately the 
idea did not suggest itself to the Indians. As 
soon as it was dark, finding by the silence around 
that his pursuers had departed, Colter dived again 
and came up beyond the raft. He then swam 
silently down the river for a considerable dis- 
tance, when he landed, and kept on all night, to 
get as far off as jiossible from this dangerous 
neighborhood. 

By daybreak he had gained sufficient distance 
to relieve him from the terrors of his savage 
foes ; but now new sources of inquietude pre- 



TRAVELLING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 175 

sented themselves. He was naked and alone, 
in the midst of an unbounded wilderness ; his 
onl}^ chance was to reach a trading post of the 
Missouri Company, situated on a branch of the 
Yellowstone River. Even should he elude his 
pursuers, days must elapse before he could reach 
this post, during which he must traverse immense 
prairies destitute of shade, his naked body ex- 
230sed to the burning heat of the sun by day, and 
the dews and chills of the night season, and his 
feet lacerated by the thorns of the prickly pear. 
Though he might see game in abundance around 
him, he had no means of killing any for his sus- 
tenance, and must dej)end for food upon the 
roots of the earth. In defiance of these difficul- 
ties he pushed resolutely forward, guiding himself 
in his trackless course by those signs and indica- 
tions known only to Indians and backwoodsmen ; 
and after braving dangers and hardships enough 
to break down any spirit but that of a western 
pioneer, arrived safe at the solitary post in ques- 
tion. ^ 

Such is a sample of the rugged experience 
which Colter had to relate of savage hfe ; yet, 
with all these perils and terrors fresh in his rec- 
ollection, he could not see the present band on 
their way to those regions of danger and adven- 
ture, without feeling a vehement imjDulse to join 
them. A western trapper is like a sailor ; past 
hazards only stimulate him to further risks. The 
vast prairie is to the one what the ocean is to the 
other, a boundless field of enterprise and exploit. 
1 Bradbury, Travels in America, p. 17. 



176 ASTORIA. 

However he may have suffered in his last cruise, 
he is always ready to join a new expedition ; 
and the more adventurous its nature, the more 
attractive is it to his vagrant spirit. 

Nothing seems to have kept Colter from con- 
tinuing with the party to the shores of the Pa- 
cific but the circumstance of his having recently 
married. All the morning he kept with them, bal- 
ancing in his mind the charms of his bride against 
those of the Rocky Mountains ; the former, how- 
ever, prevailed, and after a march of several miles, 
he took a reluctant leave of the travellers, and 
turned his face homeward. 

Continuing their progress up the Missouri, the 
party encamped on the evening of the 21st of 
March, in the neighborhood of a little frontier 
village of French Creoles. Here Pierre Dorion 
met with some of his old comrades, with whom 
he had a long gossip, and returned to the camp 
with rumors of bloody feuds between the Osages 
and the loways, or Ayaways, Potowatomies, 
Sioux, and Sawkees. Blood had already been 
shed, and scalps been taken. A war party, three 
hundred strong, were prowling in the neighbor- 
hood ; others might be met with higher up the 
the river ; it behooved the travellers, therefore, to 
be upon their guard against robbery or surprise, 
for an Indian war-party on the march is prone to 
acts of outrage. 

In consequence of this report, which was sub- 
sequently confirmed by further intelligence, a 
guard was kept up at night round the encamp- 
ment, and they all slept on their arms. As they 



ARRIVAL AT FORT OSAGE. 177 

were sixteen in number, and well supplied with 
weapons and ammunition, they trusted to be able 
to give any marauding party a warm reception. 
Nothing occurred, however, to molest them on 
their voyage, and on the 8th of April they came 
in sight of Fort Osage. On their approach the 
flag was hoisted on the fort, and they saluted it 
by a discharge of fire-arms. Within a short dis- 
tance of the fort' was an Osage village, the in- 
habitants of which, men, women, and children, 
thronged down to the water side to witness their 
landing. One of the first persons they met on 
the river bank was Mr. Crooks, who had come 
down in a boat, with nine men, from the winter 
encampment at Nodowa, to meet them. 

They remained at Fort Osage a part of three 
days, during which they were hospitably enter- 
tained at the garrison by Lieutenant Brownson, 
who held a temporary command. They were 
regaled also with a war-feast at the village ; the 
Osaofe warriors havinoj returned from a successful 
foray against the loways, in which they had taken 
seven scalps. They were paraded on poles about 
the village, followed by the warriors decked out 
in all their savage ornaments, and hideously 
painted as if for battle. 

By the Osage warriors, Mr. Hunt and his com- 
panions were again warned to be on their guard in 
ascending the river, as the Sioux tribe meant to 
lay in wait and attack them. 

On the 10th of April they again embarked, 
their party being now augmented to twenty-six, 
by the addition of Mr. Crooks and his boat's 
12 



178 ASTORIA. 

crew. They had not proceeded far, however, 
when there was a great outcry from one of the 
boats ; it was occasioned by a little domestic dis- 
cipline in the Dorion family. The squaw of the 
worthy interpreter, it appeared, had been so de- 
lighted with the scalp-dance, and other festivities 
of the Osage village, that she had taken a strong 
inclination to remain there. This had been as 
strongly opposed by her liege lord, who had 
compelled her to embark. The good dame had 
remained sulky ever since, whereupon Pierre, 
seeing no other mode of exorcising the evil spirit 
out of her, and being, perhaps, a little inspired 
by whiskey, had resorted to the Indian remedy of 
the cudgel, and before his neighbors could inter- 
fere, had belabored her so soundly, that there 
is no record of her having shown any refrac- 
tory symptoms throughout the remainder of the 
expedition. 

For a week they continued their voyage, ex- 
posed to almost incessant rains. The bodies of 
drowned buffaloes floated past them in vast num- 
bers ; many had drifted upon the shore, or against 
the upper ends of the rafts and islands. These had 
attracted great flights of turkey-buzzards ; some 
were banqueting on the carcasses, others were 
soaring far aloft in the sky, and others were 
perched on the trees, with their backs to the sun, 
and their wings stretched out to dry, like so 
many vessels in harbor, spreading their sails af- 
ter a shower. 

The turkey-buzzard (vultur aura, or golden 
vulture), when on the wing, is one of the most 



TURKEY-BUZZARDS. 179 

specious and imposing of birds. Its flight in the 
upper regions of the air is really sublime, ex- 
tending its immense wings, and wheeling slowly 
and majestically to and fro, seemingly without 
exerting a muscle or fluttering a feather, but 
moving by mere volition, and sailing on the bo- 
som of the air, as a ship upon the ocean. Usurp- 
ing the empyreal realm of the eagle, he assumes 
for a time the port and dignity of that majestic 
bird, and often is mistaken for him by ignorant 
crawlers upon earth. It is only when he descends 
from the clouds to pounce upon carrion that he 
betrays his low propensities, and reveals his cai- 
tiff character. Near at hand he is a disgusting 
bird, ragged in plumage, base in aspect, and 
of loathsome odor. 

On the 17th of April Mr. Hunt arrived with 
his party at the station near the Nodowa River, 
where the main body had been quartered during 
the winter. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

HE weather continued rainy and unge- 
nial for some days after Mr. Hunt's re- 
turn to Nodowa ; yet spring was rapidly 
advancing and vegetation was putting forth with 
all its early freshness and beauty. The snakes 
beo-an to recover from their torpor and crawl 
forth into day ; and the neighborhood of the win- 
tering house seems to have been much infested 
with them. Mr. Bradbury, in the course of his 
botanical researches, found a surprising number in 
a half torpid state, under flat stones upon the 
banks which overhung the cantonment, and nar- 
rowly escaped being struck by a rattlesnake, 
which darted at him from a cleft in the rock, 
but fortunately gave him warning by his rattle. 

The pigeons, too, were filling the woods in vast 
migratory flocks. It is almost incredible to de- 
scribe the prodigious flights of these birds in the 
western wildernesses. They appear absolutely 
in clouds, and move with astonishing velocity, 
their wings making a whistling sound as they fly. 
The rapid evolutions of these flocks, wheeling 
and shifting suddenly as if with one mind and 
one impulse ; the flashing changes of color they 
present, as their backs, their breasts, or the un- 
der part of their wings are turned to the spec- 



PIGEONS AND THEIR HABITS. 181 

tator, are singularly pleasing. When they alight, 
if on the ground, they cover whole acres at a 
time ; if upon trees, the branches often break 
beneath their weight. If suddenly startled while 
feeding in the midst of a forest, the noise they 
make in getting on the wing is like the roar of 
a cataract or the sound of distant thunder. 

A flight of this kind, like an Egyptian flight 
of locusts, devours everything that serves for its 
food as it passes along. So great were the num- 
bers in the vicinity of the camp that Mr. Brad- 
bury, in the course of a morning's excursion, 
shot nearly three hundred with a fowling-piece. 
He gives a curious, though apparently a faithful, 
account of the kind of discipline observed in 
these immense flocks, so that each may have a 
chance of picking up food. As the front ranks 
must meet with the greatest abundance, and the 
rear ranks must have scanty pickings, the instant 
a rank finds itself the hindmost, it rises in the 
air, flies over the whole flock and takes its place 
in the advance. The next rank follows in its 
course, and thus the last is continually becoming 
first and all by turns have a front place at the 
banquet. 

The rains having at length subsided, Mr. 
Hunt broke up the encampment and resumed 
his course up the Missouri. 

The party now consisted of nearly sixty per- 
sons ; of whom five were partners, one, John 
Reed, was a clerk ; forty were Canadian " voya- 
geurs," or " engages^ and there were several 
hunters. They embarked in four boats, one of 



182 ASTORIA. 

which was of a large size, mounting a swivel 
and two howitzers. All were furnished with 
masts and sails, to be used when the wind was 
sufficiently favorable and strong to overpower 
the current of the river. Such was the case 
for the first four or five days, when they were 
wafted steadily up the stream by a strong south- 
easter. 

Their encampments at night were often pleas- 
ant and picturesque : on some beautiful bank, 
beneath spreading trees, which afforded them 
shelter and fuel. The tents were pitched, the 
fires made, and the meals prepared by the voy- 
ageurs, and many a story was told, and joke 
passed, and song sung round the evening fire. 
All, however, were asleep at an early hour. 
Some under the tents, others wrapped in blan- 
kets before the fire, or beneath the trees ; and 
some few in the boats and canoes. 

On the 28th, they breakfasted on one of the 
islands which lie at the mouth of the Nebraska 
or Platte River — the largest tributary of the 
Missouri, and about six hundred miles above its 
confluence with the Mississippi. This broad but 
shallow stream flows for an immense distance 
through a wide and verdant valley scooped out 
of boundless prairies. It draws its main sup- 
plies by several forks or branches, from the 
Rocky Mountains. The mouth of this river is 
established as the dividing point between the up- 
per and lower Missouri ; and the earlier voya- 
gers, in their toilsome ascent, before the intro- 
duction of steamboats, considered one-half of 



SIGNS OF WAR PARTIES. 183 

their labors accomplished when they reached 
this place. The passing of the mouth of the 
Nebraska, therefore, was equivalent among boat- 
men to the crossing of the line among sailors, 
and was celebrated with like ceremonials of a 
rough and waggish nature, practiced upon the 
uninitiated ; among which was the old nautical 
joke of shaving. The river deities, however, 
like those of the sea, were to be propitiated by 
a bribe, and the infliction of these rude honors 
to be parried by a treat to the adepts. 

At the mouth of the Nebraska new signs 
were met with of war parties which had re- 
cently been in the vicinity. There was the 
frame of a skin canoe, in which the warriors had 
traversed the river. At night, also, the lurid 
reflection of immense fires hung in the sky, 
showing the conflagration of great tracts of the 
prairies. Such fires not being made by hunters 
so late in the season, it was supposed they were 
caused by some wandering war parties. These 
often take the precaution to set the prairies on 
fire behind them to conceal their traces from 
their enemies. This is chiefly done when the 
party has been unsuccessful, and is on the retreat 
and apprehensive of pursuit. At such time it 
is not safe even for friends to fall in with them, 
as they are apt to be in savage humor, and dis- 
posed to vent their spleen in capricious outrage. 
These signs, therefore, of a band of marauders 
on the prowl, called for some degree of vigilance 
on the part of the travellers. 

After passing the Nebraska, the party halted 



184 ASTORIA. 

for part of two days on the bank of the river, a 
little above Papillion Creek, to supply themselves 
with a stock of oars and poles from the tough 
wood of the ash, which is not met with higher up 
the Missouri. While the voyagers were thus oc- 
cupied, the naturalists rambled over the adjacent 
country to collect plants. From the summit of a 
range of bluffs on the opposite side of the river, 
about two hundred and fifty feet high, they had 
one of those vast and magnificent prospects which 
sometimes unfold them.selves in those boundless 
regions. Below them was the Valley of the 
Missouri, about seven miles in breadth, clad in 
the fresh verdure of spring ; enameled with 
flowers and interspersed with clumps and groves 
of noble trees, between which the mighty river 
poured its turbulent and turbid stream. The 
interior of the country presented a singular scene ; 
the immense waste being broken up by innumer- 
able green hills, not above eight feet in height, 
but extremely steep, and actually pointed at their 
summits. A long line of bluffs extended for 
upwards of thirty miles parallel to the Missouri, 
with a shallow lake stretching along their base, 
which had evidently once formed a bed of the 
river. The surface of this lake was covered 
with aquatic plants, on the broad leaves of which 
numbers of water-snakes, drawn forth by the 
genial warmth of spring, were basking in the 
sunshine. 

On the 2d day of May, at the usual hour of 
embarking, the camp was thrown into some confu- 
sion by two of the hunters, named Harrington, 



DESERTION OF TWO HUNTERS. 185 

expressing their intention to abandon the expedition 
and return home. One of these had joined the 
party in the preceeding autumn, having been 
hunting for two years on the Missouri ; the other 
had engaged at St. Louis, in the following March, 
and had come up from thence with Mr. Hunt. 
He now declared that he had enlisted merely for 
the purpose of following his brother, and persuad- 
ing him to return ; having been enjoined to do so 
by his mother, whose anxiety had been awakened 
by the idea of his going on such a wild and 
distant expedition. 

The loss of two stark hunters and prime 
riflemen was a serious aflair to the party, for 
they were approaching the region where they 
might expect hostilities from the Sioux ; indeed, 
throughout the whole of their perilous journey, 
the services of such men would be all important, 
for little reliance was to be placed upon the valor 
of the Canadians in case of attack. Mr. Hunt 
endeavored by arguments, expostulations, and en- 
treaties, to shake the determination of the two 
brothers. He represented to them that they were 
between six and seven hundred miles above the 
mouth of the Missouri ; that they would have four 
hundred miles to go before they could reach the 
habitation of a white man, throughout which they 
would be exposed to all kinds of risks ; since, he 
declared, if they persisted in abandoning him and 
breaking their faith, he would not furnish them 
with a single round of ammunition. All was in 
vain ; they obstinately persisted in their reso- 
lution ; whereupon, Mr. Hunt, partly incited by 



186 ASTORIA. 

indignation, partly by the policy of deterring 
others from desertion, put his threat into execu- 
tion, and left them to find their way back to 
the settlements without, as he supposed, a single 
bullet or charge of powder. 

The boats now continued their slow and toil- 
some course for several days, against the current 
of the river. The late signs of roaming war 
parties caused a vigilant watch to be kept up at 
night when the crews encamped on shore ; nor 
was this vigilance superfluous ; for on the night 
of the seventh instant, there was a wild and 
fearful yell, and eleven Sioux warriors, stark 
naked, with tomahawks in their hands, rushed 
into the camp. They were instantly surrounded 
and seized, whereupon their leader called out to 
his followers to desist from any violence, and 
pretended to be perfectly pacific in his intentions. 
It proved, however, that they were a part of the 
war party, the skeleton of whose canoe had been 
seen at the mouth of the river Platte, and the 
reflection of whose fires had been descried in the 
air. They had been disappointed or defeated in 
the foray, and in their rage and mortification 
these eleven warriors had '• devoted their clothes 
to the medicine." This is a desperate act of 
Indian braves when foiled in war, and in dread 
of scoffs and sneers. In such case they some- 
times throw off their clothes and ornaments, de- 
vote themselves to the Great Spirit, and attempt 
some reckless exploit with which to cover their 
disgrace. Woe to any defenseless party of white 
men that may then fiill in their way ! 



VILLAGE OF THE OMAHAS. 187 

Such was the explanation given by Pierre 
Dorion, the half-breed interpreter, of this wild 
intrusion into the camp ; and the party were so 
exasperated when apprized of the sanguinary 
intentions of the prisoners, that they were for 
shooting them on the spot. Mr. Hunt, however, 
exerted his usual moderation and humanity, and 
ordered that they should be conveyed across the 
river in one of the boats, threatening them 
however, with certain death, if again caught in 
any hostile act. 

On the 10th of May the party arrived at the 
Omaha (pronounced Omawhaw) village, about 
eight hundred and thirty miles above the mouth 
of the Missouri, and encamped in its neighborhood. 
The village was situated under a hill on the bank 
of the river, and consisted of about eighty lodges. 
These were of a circular and conical form, and 
about sixteen feet in diameter ; being mere tents 
of dressed buffalo skins, sewed together and 
stretched on long poles, inclined towards each 
other so as to cross at about half their height. 
Thus the naked tops of the poles diverge in such 
a manner that, if they were covered with skins 
like the lower ends, the tent would be shaped 
like an hour-glass, and present the appearance of 
one cone inverted on the apex of another. 

The forms of Indian lodges are worthy of 
attention, each tribe having a different mode of 
shaping and arranging them, so that it is easy to 
tell, on seeing a lodge or an encampement at a 
distance, to what tribe the inhabitants belong. 
The exterior of the Omaha lodges have often a 



188 ASTORIA. 

gay and fanciful appearance, being painted with 
undulating bands of red or yellow, or decorated 
with rude figures of horses, deer, and buffaloes, 
and with human faces, painted like full moons, 
four and five feet broad. 

The Omahas were once one of the numerous 
and powerful tribes of the prairies, vying in 
warlike might and prowess with the Sioux, the 
Pawnees, the Sauks, the Konzas, and the latans. 
Their wars with the Sioux, however, had thinned 
their ranks, and the smallpox in 1802 had swept 
off two thirds of their number. At the time of 
Mr. Hunt's visit they still boasted about two 
hundred warriors and hunters, but they are now 
fast melting away, and before long, will be 
numbered among those extinguished nations of 
the west that exist but in tradition. 

In his correspondence with Mr. Astor, from 
this point of his journey, Mr. Hunt gives a sad 
account of the Indian tribes bordering on the 
river. They were in continual war with each 
other, and their wars were of the most harassing 
kind ; consisting, not merely of main conflicts 
and expeditions of moment, involving the sack- 
ings, burnings, and massacres of towns and 
villages, but of individual acts of treachery, 
murder, and cold-blooded cruelty ; or of vaunting 
and foolhardy exploits of single warriors, either 
to avenge some personal wrong, or gain the vain- 
glorious trophy of a scalp. The lonely hunter, 
the wandering wayfarer, the poor squaw cutting 
wood or gathering corn, was liable to be surprised 
and slaughtered. In this way tribes were either 



BLACKBIRD, THE 031 A HA CHIEF. 189 

swept away at, once, or gradually thinned out, 
and savage life was surrounded with constant 
horrors and alarms. That the race of red men 
should diminish from year to year, and so few 
should survive of the numerous nations which 
evidently once peopled the vast regions of the 
west, is nothing surprising ; it is rather matter of 
surprise that so many should survive ; for the 
existence of a savage in these parts seems little 
better than a prolonged and all-besetting death. 
It is, in fact, a caricature of the boasted romance 
of feudal times ; chivalry in its native and 
uncultured state, and knight-errantry run wild. 

In their most prosperous days, the Omahas 
looked upon themselves as the most powerful 
and perfect of human beings, and considered 
all created things as made for their peculiar use 
and benefit. It is this tribe of whose chief, the 
famous Wash-ing-guh-sah-ba, or Blackbird, such 
savasre and romantic stories are told. He had 
died about ten 'years previous to the arrival of 
Mr. Hunt's party, but his name was still men- 
tioned with awe by his people. He was one of 
the first among the Indian chiefs on the Missouri 
to deal with the white traders, and showed great 
sagacity in levying his royal dues. When a 
trader arrived in his village, he caused all his 
goods to be brought into his lodge and opened. 
From these he selected whatever suited his 
sovereign pleasure ; blankets, tobacco, whiskey, 
powder, ball, beads, and red paint ; and laid the 
articles on one side, without deigning to give any 
compensation. Then calling to him his herald or 



190 ASTORIA. 

crier, he would order him to mount on top of the 
lodge and summon all the tribe to bring in their 
peltries, and trade with the white man. The 
lodge would soon be crowded with Indians bring- 
ing bear, beaver, otter, and other skins. No one 
was allowed to dispute the prices fixed by the 
white trader upon his articles ; who took care to 
indemnify himself five times over for the goods 
set apart by the chief. In this way the Black- 
bird enriched himself, and enriched the white 
men, and became exceedingly popular among the 
traders of the Missouri. His people, however, 
were not equally satisfied by a regulation of 
trade which worked so manifestly against them, 
and began to show signs of discontent. Upon 
this a crafty and unprincipled trader revealed a 
secret to the Blackbird, by which he might ac- 
quire unbounded sway over his ignorant and 
superstitious subjects. He instructed him in 
the poisonous qualities of arsenic, and furnished 
him with an ample supply of that baneful drug. 
From this time the Blackbird seemed endowed 
with supernatural powers, to possess the gift of 
prophecy, and to hold the disposal of life and 
death within his hands. "Woe to any one who 
questioned his authority or dared to dispute his 
commands ! The Blackbird prophesied his 
death within a certain time, and he had the secret 
means of verifying his prophecy. Within the 
fated period the offender was smitten with 
strange and sudden disease, and perished from 
the face of the earth. Every one stood aghast 
at these multiplied examples of his superhuman 



BLACKBIRD'S PROWESS. 191 

might, and dreaded to displease so omnipotent 
and vindictive a being ; and the Blackbird en- 
joyed a wide and undisputed sway. 

It was not, however, by terror alone that he 
ruled his people ; he was a warrior of the first 
order, and his exploits in arms were the theme 
of young and old. His career had begun by 
hardships, having been taken prisoner by the 
Sioux, in early youth. Under his command, the 
Omahas obtained great character for military 
prowess, nor did he permit an insult or an injury 
to one of his tribe to pass- unrevenged. The 
Pawnee republicans had inflicted a gross indig- 
nity on a favorite and distinguished Omaha 
brave. The Blackbird assembled his warriors, 
led them against the Pawnee town, attacked it 
with irresistible fury, slaughtered a great number 
of its inhabitants, and burnt it to the ground. 
He waged fierce and bloody war against the 
Ottoes for many years, until peace was effected 
between them by the mediation of the whites. 
Fearless in battle, and fond of signalizing him- 
self, he dazzled his followers by daring acts. In 
attacking a Kanza village, he rode singly round 
it, loading and discharging his rifle at the inhab- 
itants as he galloped past them. He kept up in 
war the same idea of mysterious and supernatural 
power. At one time, when pursuing a war 
party by their tracks across the prairies, he 
repeatedly discharged his rifle into the prints 
made by their feet and by the hoofs of their 
horses, assuring his followers that he would 
thereby cripple the fugitives, so that they would 



192 ASTORIA. 

easily be overtaken. He in fact did overtake 
them, and destroyed them almost to a man ; and 
his victory was considered miraculous, both by 
friend and foe. By these and similar exploits, 
he made himself the pride and boast of his peo- 
ple, and became popular among them, notwith- 
standing his death-denouncing fiat. 

With all his savage and terrific qualities, he 
was sensible of the power of female beauty, and 
capable of love. A war party of the Poncas had 
made a foray into the lands of the Omahas, 
and carried off a number of women and horses. 
The Blackbird was roused to fury, and took 
the field with all his braves, swearing to " eat 
up the Ponca nation " — the Indian threat of 
exterminating war. The Poncas, sorely pressed, 
took refuge behind a rude bulwark of earth ; 
but the Blackbird kept up so galling a fire, that 
he seemed likely to execute his menace. In 
their extremity they sent forth a herald, bearing 
the calumet or pipe of peace, but he was shot 
down by order of the Blackbird. Another herald 
was sent forth in similar guise, but he shared a 
like fate. The Ponca chief then, as a last hope, 
arrayed his beautiful daughter in her finest orna- 
ments, and sent her forth with a calumet, to sue 
for peace. The charms of the Indian maid 
touched the stern heart of the Blackbird ; he 
accepted the pipe at her hand, smoked it, and 
from that time a peace took place between the 
Poncas and the Omahas. 

This beautiful damsel, in all probability, was 
the favorite wife whose fate makes so tragic an 



BLACKBIRD'S CRIME. 193 

incident in the story of the Blackbird. Her 
youth and beauty had gained an absolute sway 
over his rugged heart, so that he distinguished 
her above all of his other wives. The habitual 
gratification of his vindictive impulses, however, 
had taken away from him all mastery over his 
passions, and rendered him liable to the most 
furious transports of rage. In one of these his 
beautiful wife had the misfortune to offend him, 
when suddenly drawing his knife, he laid her 
dead at his feet with a single blow. 

In an instant his frenzy was at an end. He 
gazed for a time in mute bewilderment upon his 
victim ; then drawing his buffalo robe over his 
head, he sat down beside the corpse, and re- 
mained brooding over his crime and his loss. 
Three days elapsed, yet the chief continued 
silent and motionless ; tasting no food, and ap- 
parently sleepless. It was apprehended that he 
intended to starve himself to death; his people 
approached him in trembling awe, and entreated 
him once more to uncover his face and be com- 
forted ; but he remained unmoved. At length 
one of his warriors brought in a small child, and 
laying it on tl^p ground, placed the foot of the 
Blackbird upon its neck. The heart of the 
gloomy savage was touched by this appeal ; he 
threw aside his robe ; made an harangue upon 
what he had done ; and from that time forward 
seemed to have thrown the load of grief and 
remorse from his mind. 

He still retained his fatal and mysterious 
secret, and with it his terrific power ; but, though 
13 



194 ASTORIA. 

able to deal death to his enemies, he could not 
avert it from himself or his friends. In 1802 
the small-pox, that dreadful pestilence, which 
swept over the land like a fire over the prairie, 
made its appearance in the village of the Omahas. 
The poor savages saw with dismay the ravages 
of a malady, loathsome and agonizing in its de- 
tails, and which set the skill and experience of 
their conjurers and medicine men at defiance. In 
a little while, two thirds of the population were 
swept from the face of the earth, and the doom 
of the rest seemed sealed. The stoicism of the 
warriors was at an end ; they became wild and 
desperate ; some set fire to the village as a last 
means of checking the pestilence ; others, in a 
frenzy of despair, put their wives and children to 
death, that they might be spared the agonies of 
an inevitable disease, and that they might all go 
to some better country. 

When the general horror and dismay was at 
its height, the Blackbird himself was struck down 
with the malady. The poor savages, when they 
saw their chief in danger, forgot their own mis- 
eries, and surrounded his dying bed. His dom- 
inant spirit, and his love for the white men, were 
evinced in his latest breath, with which he desig- 
nated his place of sepulture. It was to be on a 
hill or promontory, upwards of four hundred feet 
in height, overlooking a great extent of the 
Missouri, from whence he had been accustomed 
to watch for the barks of the white men. The 
Missouri washes the base of the promontory, and 
after winding and doubling in many links and 



BURIAL OF BLACKBIRD. 195 

mazes in the plain below, returns to within nine 
hundred yards of its starting-place; so that for 
thirty miles navigating with sail and oar, the 
the voyager finds himself continually near to this 
singular promontory as if spell-bound. 

It was the dying command of the Blackbird 
that his tomb should be upon the summit of this 
hill, in which he should be interred, seated on 
his favorite horse, that he might overlook his an- 
cient domain, and behold the barks of the white 
men as they came up the river to trade with his 
people. 

His dying orders were faithfully obeyed. His 
corpse was placed astride of his war-steed and 
a mound raised over them on the summit of 
the hill. On top of the mound was erected a 
staff, from which fluttered the banner of the chief- 
tain, and the scalps that he had taken in battle. 
When the expedition under Mr. Hunt visited that 
part of the country, the staff still remained, with 
the fragments of the banner ; and the super- 
stitious rite of placing food from time to time on 
the mound, for the use of the deceased, was still 
observed by the Omahas. That rite has since 
fallen into disuse, for the tribe itself is almost ex- 
tinct. Yet the hill of the Blackbird continues an 
object of veneration to the wandering savage, and 
a landmark to the voyager of the Missouri ; and 
as the civilized traveller comes within sight of its 
spell-bound crest, the mound is pointed out to him 
from afar, which still incloses the grim skeletons 
of the Indian warrior and his horse. 




CHAPTER XVn. 

HILE Mr. Hunt and his party were so- 
journing at the village of the Omahas, 
three Sioux Indians of the Yankton 
Ahna tribe arrived, bringing unpleasant intel- 
ligence. They reported that certain bands of the 
Sioux Tetons, who inhabited a region many leagues 
further up the Missouri, were near at hand, await- 
ing the approach of the party, with the avowed 
intention of opposing their progress. 

The Sioux Teton s were at that time a sort of 
pirates of the Missouri, who considered the well- 
freighted bark of the American trader fair game. 
They had their own traffic with the British mer- 
chants of the Northwest, who brought them regular 
supplies of merchandise by way of the river St. 
Peter. Being thus inde23endent of the Missouri 
traders for their supplies, they kept no terms with 
them, but plundered them whenever they had an 
opportunity. It has been insinuated that they 
were prompted to these outrages by the British 
merchants, who wished to keep off all rivals in 
the Indian trade ; but others allege another mo- 
tive, and one savoring of a deeper policy. The 
Sioux, by their intercourse with the British traders, 
had acquired the use of fire-arms, which had given 
them vast superiority over other tribes higher up 



PIRATES OF THE MISSOURI. 197 

the Missouri. They had made themselves also, 
in a manner, factors for the upper tribes, supply- 
ing them at second hand, and at greatly advanced 
prices, with goods derived from the white men. 
The Sioux, therefore, saw with jealousy the 
American traders pushing their way up the Mis- 
souri ; foreseeing that the upper tribes would thus 
be relieved from all dependence on them for sup- 
plies ; nay, what was worse, would be furnished 
with fire-arms, and elevated into formidable rivals. 

We have already alluded to a case in which Mr. 
Crooks and Mr. M'Lellan had been interrupted 
in a trading voyage by these ruffians of the river, 
and, as it is in some degree connected with cir- 
cumstances hereafter to be related, we shall spe- 
cify it more particularly. 

About two years before the time of wliich we 
are treating, Crooks and M'Lellan were ascending 
the river in boats with a party of about forty men, 
bound on one of their trading expeditions to the 
upper tribes. In. one of the bends of the river, 
where the channel made a deep curve under im- 
pending banks, they suddenly heard yells and 
shouts above them, and beheld the cliffs overhead 
covered with armed savages. It was a band of 
Sioux warriors, upwards of six hundred strong. 
They brandished their weapons in a menacing 
manner, and ordered the boats to turn back and 
land lower down the river. There was no dis- 
puting these commands, for they had the power 
to shower destruction upon the white men, with- 
out risk to themselves. Crooks and M'Lellan, 
therefore, turned back with feigned alacrity ; and. 



198 ASTORIA. 

landing, had an interview with the Sioux. The 
latter forbade them, under pain of exterminating 
hostility, from attempting to proceed up the river, 
but offered to trade peacefully with them if, they 
would halt where they were. The party, being 
principally composed of voyageurs, was too weak 
to contend with so superior a force, and one so 
easily augmented; they pretended, therefore, to 
comply cheerfully with their arbitrary dictation, 
and immediately proceeded to cut down trees and 
erect a trading house. The warrior band departed 
for their village, which was about twenty miles 
distant, to collect objects of traffic ; they left six 
or eight of their number, however, to keep watch 
upon the white men, and scouts were continaally 
passing to and fro with intelligence. 

Mr. Crooks saw that it would be impossible to 
prosecute his voyage without the danger of hav- 
ing his boats plundered, and a great jjart of his 
men massacred ; he determined, however, not to 
be entirely frustrated in the objects of his expedi- 
tion. While he continued, therefore, with great 
apparent earnestness and assiduity, the construction 
of the trading house, he disjDatched the hunters 
and trappers of his party in a canoe, to make their 
way up the river to the original place of des- 
tination, there to busy themselves in trapping and 
collecting peltries, and to await his arrival at 
some future period. 

As soon as the detachment had had sufficient 
time to ascend beyond the hostile country of the 
Sioux, Mr. Crooks suddenly broke up his feigned 
trading establishment, embarked his men and 



M'LELLAN'S VOW. 199 

effects, and, after giving the astonished rear-guard 
of savages a galling and indignant message to take 
to their countrymen, pushed down the river with 
all speed, sparing neither oar nor paddle, day nor 
night, until fairly beyond the swoop of these river 
hawks. 

What increased the irritation of Messrs. Crooks 
and M'Lellan at this mortifying check to their 
gainful enterprise, was the information that a 
rival trader was at the bottom of it; the Sioux, 
it is said, havinsf been instiijated to this outras^e 
by Mr. Manuel Lisa, the leading partner and 
agent of the Missouri Fur Company, already 
mentioned. This intelligence, whether true or 
false, so roused the fiery temper of M'Lellan, that 
he swore, if ever he fell in with Lisa in the Li- 
dian country, he would shoot him on the spot ; a 
mode of redress perfectly in unison with the char- 
acter of the man, and the code of honor prevalent 
beyond the frontier. 

If Crooks and M'Lellan had been exasperated 
by the insolent conduct of the Sioux Tetons, and 
the loss which it had occasioned, those freebooters 
had been no less mdignant at being outwitted by 
the white men, and disappointed of their anticipated 
gains, and it was apprehended they would be 
particularly hostile against the present expedition, 
when they should learn that these gentlemen were 
engaged in it. 

All these causes of uneasiness were concealed 
as much as possible from the Canadian voyageurs, 
lest they should become intimidated ; it was im- 
possible, however, to prevent the rumors brought 



200 ASTORIA. 

by the Indians from leaking out, and they became 
subjects of gossiping and exaggeration. The 
chief of the Omahas, too, on return inoj from. a 
hunting excursion, reported that two me#'*»ad 
been killed some distance above, by a band of 
Sioux. This added to the fears that already began 
to be excited. The voyageurs pictured to them- 
selves bands of fierce warriors stationed along 
each bank of the river, by whom they would be 
exposed to be shot down in their boats : or lurk- 
ing hordes, who would set on them at night, and 
massacre them in their encampments. Some lost 
heart, and proposed to return, rather than fight 
their way, and, in a manner, run the gauntlet 
through the country of these piratical marauders. 
In fact, three men deserted while at this village. 
Luckily, their place was supplied by three others 
who happened to be there, and who were prevailed 
on to join the expedition by promises of liberal 
pay, and by being fitted out and equipped in com- 
plete style. 

The irresolution and discontent visible among 
some of his people, arising at times almost to 
mutiny, and the occasional desertions which took 
place while thus among friendly tribes, and within 
reach of the frontiers, added greatly to the anx- 
ieties of Mr. Hunt, and rendered him eager to 
press forward and leave a hostile tract behind him, 
so that it would be as perilous to return as to keep 
on, and no one would dare to desert. 

Accordingly, on the loth of May he departed 
from the village of the Omahas, and set forward 
towards the countrv of the formidable Sioux 



VALUABLE ADDITIONS. 201 

Tetons. For the first five days they had a fair 
and fresh breeze, and the boats made good prog- 
ress. The wmd then came ahead, and the river 
beginning to rise, and to mcrease in rapidity, 
betokened the commencement of the annual flood, 
caused by the meltmg of the snow on the Rocky 
Mountains, and the vernal rains of the upper 
prairies. 

As they were now entering a region where 
foes might be lying in wait on either bank, it 
was determined, in hunting for game, to confine 
themselves principally to the islands, which some- 
times extend to considerable length, and are beau- 
tifully wooded, affording abundant pasturage and 
shade. On one of these they killed three buffa- 
loes and two elks, and halting on the edge of a 
beautiful prairie, made a sumptuous hunter's re- 
past. They had not long resumed their boats 
and pulled along the river banks when they des- 
cried a canoe approaching, navigated by two men, 
whom, to their surprise, they ascertained to be 
white men. They proved to be two of those 
strange and fearless wanderers of the wilderness, 
the trappers. Their names were Benjamin Jones 
and Alexander Carson. They had been for two 
years past hunting and trapping near the head 
of the IMissouri, and were thus floating for thou- 
sands of miles in a cockle-shell, down a turbu- 
lent stream, through regions infested by savage 
tribes, yet apparently as easy and unconcerned 
as if navigating securely in the midst of civiliza- 
tion. 

The acquisition of two such hardy, experi- 



202 ASTORIA. 

enced, and dauntless hunters was peculiarly de- 
sirable at the present moment. They needed 
but little persuasion. The wilderness is the 
home of the trapper ; like the sailor, he cares 
but little to which point of the compass he 
steers ; and Jones and Carson readily abandoned 
their voyage to St. Louis, and turned their faces 
towards the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific. 

The two naturalists, Mr. Bradbury and Mr. 
Nuttall, who had joined the expedition at St. 
Louis, still accompanied it, and pursued their re- 
searches on all occasions. Mr. Nuttall seems to 
have been exclusively devoted to his scientific 
pursuits. He was a zealous botanist, and all 
his enthusiasm was awakened at beholding a new 
world, as it were, opening upon him in the 
boundless j^rairies, clad in the vernal and varie- 
gated robe of unknown flowers. Whenever the 
boats landed at meal times, or for any temporary 
purpose, he would spring on shore, and set out 
on a hunt for new specimens. Every plant or 
flower of a rare or unknown species was eagerly 
seized as a prize. Delighted with the treasures 
spreading themselves out before him, he went 
groping and stumbling along among the wilder- 
ness of sweets, forgetful of everytliing but his 
immediate pursuit, and had often to be sought 
after when the boats were about to resume their 
course. At such times he would be found far 
off in the prairies, or up the course of some 
petty stream, laden with plants of all kinds. 

The Canadian voyageurs, who are a class of 
people that know nothing out of their immediate 



MR. BRADBURTS ADVENTURE. 203 

line, and with constitutional levity make a jest 
of anything they cannot understand, were ex- 
tremely puzzled by this passion for collecting 
what they considered mere useless weeds. When 
they saw the worthy botanist coming back heavy 
laden with his specimens, and treasuring them 
up as carefully as a miser would his hoard, 
they used to make merry among themselves at 
his expense, regardmg him as some whimsical 
kind of madman. 

Mr. Bradbury was less exclusive in liis tastes 
and habits, and combined the hunter and sports- 
man with the naturalist. He took his rifle or 
his fowling-piece with him in his geological re- 
searches, conformed to the hardy and rugged 
habits of the men around him, and of course 
gamed fiivor in their eyes. He had a strong 
relish for incident and adventure, was curious in 
observing savage manners, and savage life, and 
ready to join any hunting or other excursion. 
Even now, that the expedition was proceeding 
through a dangerous neighborhood, he could not 
check his propensity to ramble. Having ob- 
served, on the evening of the 2 2d of May, that 
the river ahead made a great bend which would 
take up the navigation of the following day, he 
determined to profit by the circumstance. On 
the morning of the 23d, therefore, instead of 
embarking, he filled his shot-pouch with parched 
corn, for provisions, and set off to cross the neck 
on foot and meet the boats in the afternoon at 
the opposite side of the bend. Mr. Hunt felt 
uneasy at his venturing thus alone, and reminded 



204 ASTORIA. 

him that he was in an enemy's country ; but Mr. 
Bradbury made light of the danger, and started 
off cheerily upon his ramble. His day was 
passed pleasantly in traversing a beautiful tract, 
making botanical and geological researches, and 
observing the habits of an extensive village of 
prairie dogs, at which he made several ineffectual 
shots, without considering the risk he run of 
attracting the attention of any savages that might 
be lurking in the neighborhood. In fact he had 
totally forgotten the Sioux Tetons, and all the 
other perils of the country, when, about the 
middle of the afternoon, as he stood near the 
river bank, and was looking out for the boat, he 
suddenly felt a hand laid on his shoulder. Start- 
ing and turning round, he beheld a naked savage 
with a bow bent, and the arrow pointed at his 
breast. In an instant his gun was leveled and 
his hand upon the lock. The Indian drew his 
bow still further, but forbore to launch the shaft. 
Mr. Bradbury, with admirable presence of mind, 
reflected that the savage, if hostile in his intents, 
would have shot him without giving him a chance 
of defense ; he paused, therefore, and held out 
his hand. The other took it m sign of friend- 
ship, and demanded in the Osage language 
whether he was a Big Knife, or American. He 
answered in the affirmative, and inquired whether 
the other were a Sioux. To his great relief he 
found that he was a Ponca. By this time two 
other Indians came running up, and all three 
laid hold of Mr. Bradbury and seemed disposed 
to compel him to go off with them among the 



UNWELCOME MISSIVES. 205 

hills. He resisted, and sitting down on a sand 
hill contrived to amuse them with a pocket com- 
pass. When the novelty of this was exhausted 
they again seized him, but he now produced a 
small microscope. This new wonder again fixed 
the attention of the savages, who have more curi- 
osity than it has been the custom to allow them. 
WhOe thus engaged, one of them suddenly leaped 
up and gave a war-whoop. The hand of the 
hardy naturalist was again on his gun, and he 
was prepared to make battle, when the Indian 
pointed down the river and revealed the true 
cause of his yell. It was the mast of one of 
the boats appearing above the low willows which 
bordered the stream. Mr. Bradbury felt infinitely 
relieved by the sight. The Indians on their part 
now showed signs of apprehension, and were 
disposed to run away ; but he assured them of 
good treatment and something to drink if they 
would accompany him on board of the boats. 
They lingered for a time, but disappeared before 
the boats came to land. 

On the foUowmg morning they appeared at 
camp accompanied by several of their tribe. 
With them came also a white man, who an- 
nounced himself as a messenger bearing missives 
for Mr. Hunt. In fact he brought a letter from 
Mr. Manuel Lisa, partner and agent of the Mis- 
souri Fur Company. As has already been men- 
tioned, this gentleman was going in search of 
Mr. Henry and his party, who had been dis- 
lodged from the forks of the Missouri by the 
Blackfeet Indians, and had shifted his post some- 



206 ASTORIA. 

where beyond the Rocky Mountains. Mr. Lisa 
had left St. Louis three weeks after Mr. Hunt, 
and having heard of the hostile intentions of the 
Sioux, had made the greatest exertions to over- 
take him, that they might pass through the 
dangerous part of the river together. He had 
twenty stout oarsmen in his service and they 
phed their oars so vigorously, that he had 
reached the Omaha village just four days after 
the departure of Mr. Hunt. From this place 
he dispatched the messenger in question, trusting 
to his overtaking the barges as they toiled up 
against the stream, and were delayed by the 
windings of the river. The purport of his letter 
was to entreat Mr. Hunt to wait until he could 
come up with him, that they might unite their 
forces and be a protection to each other in their 
j3erilous course through the country of the Sioux. 
Li fact, as it was afterwards ascertained, Lisa was 
apprehensive that Mr. Hunt would do him some 
ill office with the Sioux bands, securing his own 
passage through their country by jDretending that 
he, with whom they were accustomed to trade, was 
on his way to them with a plentiful supply of 
goods. He feared, too, that Crooks and M'Lellan 
would take this opportunity to retort upon him the 
perfidy which they accused him of having used, 
two years previously, among these very Sioux. 
In this respect, however, he did them signal in- 
justice. There was no such thing as covert 
design or treachery in their thought ; but M'Lel- 
lan, when he heard that Lisa was on his way 
up the river, renewed his open threat of shoot- 



HUNTS SUSPICIONS OF LISA. 207 

ing him the moment he met him on Indian 
land. 

The representations made by Crooks and 
M'Lellan of the treachery they had experienced, 
or fancied, on the part of Lisa, had great weight 
with Mr. Hunt, especially when he recollected the 
obstacles that had been thrown in his own way by 
that gentleman at St. Louis. He doubted, there- 
fore, the fair dealing of Lisa, and feared that, 
should they enter the Sioux country together, 
the latter might make use of his influence with 
that tribe, as he had in the case of Crooks and 
M'Lellan, and instigate them to oppose his prog- 
ress up the river. 

He sent back, therefore, an answer calculated 
to beguile Lisa, assuring him that he would wait 
for him at the Poncas village, which was but a 
little distance in advance ; but, no sooner had the 
messenger departed, then he pushed forward with 
all diligence, barely stopping at the village to pro- 
cure a supply of dried buffalo meat, and hasten- 
ing to leave the other party as far behind as pos- 
sible, thinking there was less to be apprehended 
from the open hostility of Lidian foes, than from 
the quiet strategy of an Lidian trader. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 




T was about noon when the party left 
the Ponoas village, about a league be- 
yond which they passed the mouth of 
the Quicourt, or Rapid River (called, in the orig- 
inal French, VEau Qui Court). After having 
proceeded some distance further, they landed, and 
encamped for the night. In the evening camp, 
the voyageurs gossiped, as usual, over the events 
of the day ; and especially over intelligence 
picked up among the Poncas. These Indians 
had confirmed the previous reports of the hostile 
intentions of the Sioux, and had assured them 
that five tribes, or bands, of that fierce nation 
were actually assembled higher up the river, 
and waiting to cut them oflT. This evening gos- 
sip, and the terrific stories of Indian warfare 
to which it gave rise, produced a strong effect 
upon the imaginations of the irresolute ; and in 
the morning it was discovered that the two men, 
who had joined the party at the Omaha village, 
and been so bounteously fitted out, had deserted 
in the course of the night, carrying with them 
all their equipments. As it was known that 
one of them could not swim, it was hoped that 
the banks of the Quicourt River would bring 
them to a halt. A general pursuit was there- 
fore instituted, but without success. 



THREE " DREADNOUGHT'' KENTUCKIANS. 209 

On the following morning (May 26tb), as they 
were all on shore, breakfasting on one of the 
beautiful banks of the river, they observed two 
canoes descending along the opposite side. By 
the aid of spy-glasses, they ascertained that 
there were two white men in one of the canoes, 
and one in the other. A gun was discharged, 
which called the attention of the voyagers, who 
crossed over. They proved to be three Ken- 
tucky hunters, of the true " dreadnought " stamp. 
Their names were Edward Robinson, John Ho- 
back, and Jacob Rizner. Robinson was a vet- 
eran backwoodsman, sixty-six years of age. He 
had been one of the first settlers of Kentucky, 
and engaged in many of the conflicts of the In- 
dians on " the Bloody Ground." In one of these 
battles he had been scalped, and he still wore a 
handkerchief bound round his head to protect 
the part. These men had passed several years 
in the upper wilderness. They had been in the 
service of the Missouri Company under Mr. 
Henry, and had crossed the Rocky Mountains 
with him in the preceding year, when driven 
from his post on the Missouri by the hostilities 
of the Blackfeet. After crossing the mountains, 
Mr. Henry had established himself on one of 
the head branches of the Columbia River. 
There they had remained with him for some 
months, hunting and trapping, until, having sat- 
isfied their wandering propensities, they felt dis- 
posed to return to the families and comfortable 
homes which they had left in Kentucky. They 
had accordingly made their way back across the 
14 



210 ASTORIA. 

mountains, and down the rivers, and were in full 
career for St. Louis, when thus suddenly inter- 
rupted. The sight of a powerful party of tra- 
ders, trappers, hunters, and voyageurs, well armed 
and equipped, furnished at all points, in high 
health and spirits, and banqueting lustily on the 
green margin of the river, was a spectacle 
equally stimulating to these veteran backwood- 
men with the glorious array of a campaigning 
army to an old soldier ; but when they learned 
the grand scope and extent of the enterprise in 
hand, it was irresistible ; homes and families and 
all the charms of green Kentucky vanished from 
their thoughts ; they cast loose their canoes to 
drift down the stream, and joyfully enlisted in 
the band of adventurers. They engaged on 
similar terms with some of the other hunters. 
The company was to fit them out, and keep them 
supplied with the requisite equipments and mu- 
nitions, and they were to yield one half of the 
produce of their hunting and trapping. 

The addition of three such staunch recruits 
was extremely acceptable at this dangerous part 
of the river. The knowledge of the country 
which they had acquired, also, in their journeys 
and huntinor excursions along the rivers and 
among the Rocky Mountains was all important ; 
in fact, the information derived from them in- 
duced Mr. Hunt to alter his future course. He 
had hitherto intended to proceed by the route 
taken by Lewis and Clarke in their famous 
exploring expedition, ascending the Missouri to 
its forks, and thence going, by land, across the 



A NEW ROUTE. 211 

monntains. These men informed him, however, 
that, on taking that course he would have to pass 
through the country invested by the savage 
tribe of the Blackfeet, and would be exposed to 
their hostilities ; they being, as has already been 
observed, exasperated to deadly animosity against 
the whites, on account of the death of one of their 
tribe by the hand of Captain Lewis. They ad- 
vised him rather to pursue a route more to the 
southward, being the same by which they had re- 
turned. . This would carry them over the moun- 
tains about where the head-waters of the Platte 
and the Yellowstone take their rise, at a place 
much more easy and practicable than that where 
Lewis and Clarke had crossed. In pursuing this 
course, also, he would pass through a country 
abounding with game, where he would have a 
better chance of procuring a constant supply of 
provisions than by the other route, and would run 
less risk of molestation from the Blackfeet. 
Should he adopt this advice, it would be better 
for him to abandon the river at the Arickara 
town, at which he would arrive in the course of a 
few days. As the Indians at that town possessed 
horses in abundance, he might purchase a suffi- 
cient number of them for his great journey 
overland, which would commence at that place. 

After reflecting on this advice, and consulting 
with his associates, Mr. Hunt came to the de- 
termination to follow the route thus pointed out, 
in which the hunters engaged to pilot him. 

The party continued their voyage with 
delightful May weather. The prairies bordering 



212 ASTORIA. 

on the river were gayly painted with innumerable 
flowers, exhibiting the motley confusion of colors 
of a Turkey carpet. The beautiful islands, also, 
on which they occasionally halted, presented the 
appearance of mingled grove and garden. The 
trees were often covered with clambering grape- 
vines in blossom, which perfumed the air. 
Between the stately masses of the groves were 
grassy lawns and glades, studded with flowers, or 
interspersed with rose-bushes in full bloom. 
These islands were often the resort of the 
buffiilo, the elk, and the antelope, who had made 
innumerable paths among the trees and thickets, 
which had the effect of the mazy walks and 
alleys of parks and shrubberies. Sometimes, 
where the river passed between high banks and 
bluffs, the roads, made by the tramp of buffaloes 
for many ages along the face of the heights, 
looked like so many well-travelled highways. At 
other places the banks were banded with great 
veins of iron ore, laid bare by the abrasion of the 
river. At one place the course of the river was 
nearly in a straight line for about fifteen miles. 
The banks sloped gently to its margin, without a 
single tree, but bordered with grass and herbage 
of a vivid green. Along each bank, for the 
whole fifteen miles, extended a stripe, one hun- 
dred yards in breadth, of a deep rusty brown, 
indicating an inexhaustible bed of iron, through 
the centre of which the Missouri had worn its 
way. Indications of the continuance of this bed 
were afterwards observed higher up the river. 
It is, in fact, one of the mineral magazines which 



A LAND OF DANGER. 213 

nature has provided in the heart of this vast 
realm of fertility, and which, in connection with 
the immense beds of coal on the same river, seem 
garnered up as the elements of the future wealth 
and power of the mighty West. 

The sight of these mineral treasures greatly 
excited the curiosity of Mr. Bradbury, and it 
was tantalizing to him to be checked in his 
scientific researches, and obliged to forego his 
usual rambles on shore ; but they were now 
entering the fated country of the Sioux Tetons, 
in which it was dangerous to wander about 
unguarded. 

This country extends for some days' journey 
along the river, and consists of vast prairies, 
here and there diversified by swelling hills, and 
cut up by ravines, the channels of turbid streams 
in the rainy seasons, but almost destitute of wa- 
ter during the heats of summer. Here and there 
on the sides of the hills, or along the alluvial 
borders and bottoms of the ravines, are groves 
and skirts of forest ; but for the most part the 
country presented to the eye a boundless waste, 
covered with herbage, but without trees. 

The soil of this immense region is strongly 
impregnated with sulphur, copperas, alum, and 
glauber salts; its various earths impart a deep 
tinge to the streams which drain it, and these, 
with the crumbling of the banks along the 
Missouri, give to the waters of that river much 
of the coloring matter with which they are 
clouded. 

Over this vast tract the roving bands of the 



214 ASTORIA. 

Sioux Tetons hold their vagrant sway, subsisting 
by the chase of the buffalo, the elk, the deer, and 
the antelope, and waging ruthless warfare with 
other wandering tribes. 

As the boats made their way up the stream 
bordered by this land of danger, many of the 
Canadian voyageurs, whose fears had been 
awakened, would regard with a distrustful eye 
the boundless waste extending on each side. All, 
however, was silent, and appparently untenanted 
by a human being. Now and then a herd of 
deer would be seen feeding tranquilly among the 
flowery herbage, or a line of buffaloes, like a 
caravan on its march, moving across the distant 
profile of the prairie. The Canadians, however, 
began to apprehend an ambush in every thicket, 
and to regard the broad, tranquil plain as a sailor 
eyes some shallow and perfidious sea, which, though 
smooth and safe to the eye, conceals the lurking 
rock or treacherous shoal. The very name of 
a Sioux became a watchword of terror. Not an 
elk, a wolf, or any other animal, could appear on 
the hills, but the boats resounded with exclama- 
tions from stem to stern, " votla les Sioux I 
" voila les Sioux ! " (there are the Sioux ! there 
the Sioux !) Whenever it was practicable, the 
night encampment was on some island in the 
centre of the stream. 

On the morning of the 31st of May, as the 
travellers were breakfosting on the right bank 
of the river, the usual alarm was given, but with 
more reason, as two Indians actually made their 
appearance on a bluff on the opposite or north- 



THREATENED HOSTILTTIES. 215 

east side, and harangued them in a loud voice. 
As it was impossible at that distance to distinguish 
what they said, Mr. Hunt, after breakfast, crossed 
the river with Pierre Dorion, the interpreter, and 
advanced boldly to converse with them, while the 
rest remained watching in mute suspense the 
movements of the parties. As soon as Mr. Hunt 
landed, one of the Indians disappeared behind the 
hill, but shortly reapppeared on horseback, and 
went scouring off across the heights. Mr. Hunt 
held some conference with the remaining savage, 
and then recrossed the river to his party. 

These two Indians proved to be spies or scouts 
of a large war party encamped about a league off, 
and numbering two hundred and eighty lodges, 
or about six hundred warriors, of three different 
tribes of Sioux ; the Yangtons Ahna, the Tetons 
Bois-brule, and the Tetons Min-na-kine-azzo. 
They expected daily to be reinforced by two 
other tribes, and had been waiting eleven days 
for the arrival of Mr. Hunt's party, with a de- 
termination to oppose their progress up the 
river ; being resolved to prevent all trade of the 
white men with their enemies the Arickaras, 
Mandans, and Minatarees. The Indian who had 
galloped off on horseback had gone to give 
notice of the approach of the party, so that they 
might now look out for some fierce scenes with 
those piratical savages, of whom they had re- 
ceived so many formidable accounts. 

The party braced up their spirits to the en- 
counter, and reembarking, pulled resolutely up 
the stream. An island for some time intervened 



216 AS TOE J A. 

between them and the opposite side of the river ; 
but on clearing the upper end, they came in full 
view of the hostile shore. There was a ridge of 
hills down which the savages were pouring in 
great numbers, some on horseback, and some on 
foot. Reconnoitering thera with the aid of 
glasses, they perceived that they were all in 
warlike array, painted and decorated for battle. 
Their weapons were bows and arrows, and a few 
short carbines, and most of them had round 
shields. Altogether they had a wild and gallant 
appearance, and, taking possession of a point 
which commanded the river, ranged themselves 
along the bank as if prepared to dispute their 



At sight of this formidable front of war, Mr. 
Hunt and his companions held counsel together. 
It was plain that the rumors they had heard w^ere 
correct, and the Sioux were determined to oppose 
their progress by force of arms. To attempt to 
elude them and continue along the river was out 
of the question. The strength of the mid-cur- 
rent was too violent to be withstood, and the 
boats were obliged to ascend along the river 
banks. These banks were often high and per- 
pendicular, affording the savages frequent stations, 
from whence, safe themselves, and almost unseen, 
they might shower down their missiles upon the 
boats below, and retreat at will, without danger 
from pursuit. Nothing apparently remained, 
therefore, but to fight or turn back. The Sioux 
far outnumbered them, it is true, but their own 
party was about sixty strong, well armed and 



PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENSE. 217 

supplied with aramunition ; and, beside their 
guns and rifles, they had a swivel and two how- 
itzers mounted in the boats. Should they suc- 
ceed in breaking this Indian force by one vigor- 
ous assault, it was likely they would be deterred 
from making any future attack of consequence. 
The fighting alternative was, therefore, instantly 
adopted, and the boats pulled to shore nearly 
opposite to the hostile force. Here the arms 
were all examined and put in order. The swivel 
and howitzers were then loaded with powder and 
discharged, to let the savages know by the report 
how formidably they were provided. The noise 
echoed along the shores of the river, and must 
have startled the warriors, who were only accus- 
tomed to sharp reports of rifles. The same 
pieces were then loaded with as many bullets as 
they would probably bear ; after which the whole 
party embarked, and pulled across the river. 
The Indians remained watching them in silence, 
their painted forms and visages glaring in the 
the sun, and their feathers fluttering in the 
breeze. The poor Canadians eyed them with 
rueful glances, and now and then a fearful 
ejaculation escaped them. " Parbleu ! this is a 
sad scrape we are in, brother ! " one would mut- 
ter to the next oarsman. " Aye, aye ! " the other 
would reply, " we are not going to a wedding, 
my friend ! " 

When the boats arrived within rifle-shot, the 
hunters and other fighting personages on board 
seized their weapons, and prepared for action. 
As they rose to fire, a confusion took place among 



218 ASTORIA. 

the savages. They displayed their buffalo robes, 
raised them with both hands above their heads, 
and then spread them before them on the ground. 
At sight of this, Pierre Dorion eagerly cried out 
to the party not to fire, as this movement was a 
peaceful signal, and an invitation to a parley. 
Immediately about a dozen of the principal war- 
riors, separating from the rest, descended to the 
edge of the river, lighted a fire, seated themselves 
in a semicircle round it, and, displaying the 
calumet, invited the party to land. Mr. Hunt 
now called a council of the partners on board of 
his boat. The question was, whether to trust to 
the amicable overtures of these ferocious people? 
It was determined in the affirmative ; for, other- 
wise, there was no alternative but to fight them. 
The main body of the party were ordered to 
remain on board of the boats, keeping within shot 
and prepared to fire in case of any signs of 
treachery ; while Mr. Hunt and the other part- 
ners (M'Kenzie, Crooks, Miller, and M'Lellan) 
proceeded to land, accompanied by the interpreter 
and Mr. Bradbury. The chiefs, who awaited 
them on the margin of the river, remained seated 
in their semicircle, without stirring a limb or 
moving a muscle, motionless as so many statues. 
Mr. Hunt and his companions advanced without 
hesitation, and took their seats on the sand so as 
to complete the circle. The band of warriors 
who lined the banks above stood looking down in 
silent groups and clusters, some ostentatiously 
equipped and decorated, others entirely naked, 
but fantastically painted, and all variously armed. 



THE PIPE OF PEACE. 219 

The pipe of peace was now brought forward 
with due ceremony. The bowl was of a species 
of red stone resembling porphyry ; the stem 
was six feet in length, decorated with tufts of 
horse-hair dyed red. The pipe-bearer stepped 
within the circle, lighted the pipe, held it toward<B 
the sun, then towards the different points of the 
compass, after which he handed it to the principal 
chief The latter smoked a few whiffs, then, 
holding the head of the pipe in his hand, offered 
the other end to Mr. Hunt, and to each one suc- 
cessively in the circle, When all had smoked, it 
was considered that an assurance of good faith and 
amity had been interchanged. Mr. Hunt now 
made a speech in French, which was interpreted 
as he proceeded by Pierre Dorion. He informed 
the Sioux of the real object of the expedition of 
himself and his companions, which was, not to 
trade with any of the tribes up the river, but to 
cross the mountains to the great salt lake in the 
west, in search of some of their brothers, whom 
they had not seen for eleven months. That he 
had heard of the intention of the Sioux to 
oppose his passage, and was prepared, as they 
might see, to effect it at all hazards ; neverthe- 
less, his feelings towards the Sioux were friendly, 
in proof of which he had brought them a present 
of tobacco and corn. So saying, he ordered 
about fifteen carottes of tobacco, and as many 
bags of corn, to be brought from the boat and 
laid in a heap near the council fire. 

The sight of these presents mollified the chief- 
tain, who had, doubtless, been previously ren- 



220 ASTORIA. 

dered considerate by the resolute conduct of the 
white men, the judicious disposition of their 
little armament, the completeness of their equip- 
ments, and the compact array of battle which 
they presented. He made a speech in reply, in 
which he stated the object of their hostile assem- 
blage, which had been merely to prevent sup- 
plies of arms and ammunition from going to the 
Arickaras, Mandans, and Minatarees, with whom 
they were at war ; but being now convinced that 
the party were carrying no supplies of the kind, 
but merely proceeding in quest of their brothers 
beyond the mountains, they would not impede 
them in their voyage. He concluded by thank- 
ing them for their present, and advising them to 
encamp on the opposite side of the river, as he 
had some young men among his warriors for 
whose discretion he could not be answerable, and 
who might be troublesome. 

Here ended the conference : they all arose, 
shook hands, and parted. Mr. Hunt and his 
companions reembarked, and the boats proceeded 
on their course unmolested. 




CHAPTER XIX. 




N tlie afternoon of the following day 
(June 1st) they arrived at the great 
bend, where the river winds for about 
thirty miles round a circular peninsula, the neck 
of wliich is not above two thousand yards across. 
On the succeeding morning, at an early hour, they 
descried two Indians standing on a high bank of 
the river, waving and spreading their buffalo robes 
in signs of amity. They immediately pulled to shore 
and landed. On approaching the savages, however, 
the latter showed evident symptoms of alarm, 
spreading out their arms horizontally, according to 
their mode of supplicating clemency. The reason 
was soon explained. They proved to be two 
chiefs of the very war party that had brought 
Messrs. Crooks and M'Lellan to a stand two years 
before, and obliged them to escape down the river. 
They ran to embrace these gentlemen, as if de- 
lighted to meet with them ; yet they evidently 
feared some retaliation of their past misconduct, 
nor were they quite at ease until the pipe of 
peace had been smoked. 

Mr. Hunt having been informed that the tribe 
to which these men belonged had killed three 
white men during the preceding summer, re- 
proached them with the crime, and demanded their 



222 ASTORIA. 

reasons for such savage hostility. " We kill white 
men," replied one of the chiefs, " because white 
men kill us. That very man," added he, pointing 
to Carson, one of the new recruits, " killed one 
of our brothers last summer. The three white 
men were slain to avenge his death." 

Their chief was correct in his reply. Carson 
admitted that, being with a party of Arickaras on 
the banks of the Missouri, and seeing a war party 
of Sioux on the opposite side, he had fired with 
his rifle across. It was a random shot, made with- 
out much expectation of effect, for the river was 
full half a mile in breadth. Unluckily it brought 
down a Sioux warrior, for whose wanton destruc- 
tion threefold vengeance had been taken, as 
has been stated. In this way outrages are fre- 
quently committed on the natives by thought- 
less or mischievous white men ; the Indians 
retaliate according to a law of their code, which 
requires blood for blood ; their act, of what with 
them is pious vengeance, resounds throughout the 
land, and is represented as wanton and unprovoked ; 
the neighborhood is roused to arms ; a war ensues, 
which ends in the destruction of half the tribe, 
the ruin of the rest, and their expulsion from their 
hereditary homes. Such is too often the real 
history of Indian warfare, which in general is 
traced up only to some vindictive act of a savage ; 
while the outrage of the scoundrel white man that 
provoked it is sunk in silence. 

The two chiefs, having smoked their pipe of 
peace and received a few presents, departed well 
satisfied. In a little while two others appeared 



DANGERS AND PRECAUTIONS. 223 

on horseback, and rode up abreast of the boats. 
They had seen the presents given to their comrades, 
but were dissatisfied with them, and came after 
the boats to ask for more. Being somewhat per- 
emptory and insolent in their demands, Mr. Hunt 
gave them a flat refusal, and threatened, if they 
or any of their tribe followed him with similar de- 
mands, to treat them as enemies. They turned 
and rode off in a furious passion. As he was 
ignorant what force these chiefs might have be- 
hind the hills, and as it was very possible they 
might take advantage of some pass of the river 
to attack the boats, Mr. Hunt called all stragglers 
on board and prepared for such emergency. It 
was agreed that the large boat commanded by Mr. 
Hunt should ascend along the northeast side of the 
river, and the three smaller boats along the south 
side. By this arrangement each party would 
command a view of the opposite heights above 
the heads and out of the sight of their companions, 
and could give the alarm should they perceive any 
Indians lurking there. The signal of alarm was 
to be two shots fired in quick succession. 

The boats proceeded for the greater part of the 
day without seeing any signs of an enemy. About 
four o'clock in the afternoon the large boat, com- 
manded by Mr. Hunt, came to where the river 
was divided by a long sand-bar, which apparently, 
however, left a sufficient channel between it and 
the shore along which they were advancing. He 
kept up this channel, therefore, for some distance, 
until the water proved too shallow for the boat. 
It was necessary, therefore, to put about, return 



224 ASTORIA. 

dowu the channel, and pull round the lower end 
of the sand-bar into the main stream. Just as 
he had given orders to this effect to his men, two 
signal guns were fired from the boats on the op- 
posite side of the river. At the same moment, a 
file of savage warriors was observed pouring down 
from the impending bank, and gathering on the 
shore at the lower end of the bar. They were 
evidently a war party, being armed with bows and 
arrows, battle clubs and carbines, and round buck- 
lers of buffalo hide, and their naked bodies were 
painted with black and white stripes. The nat- 
ural inference was, that they belonged to the two 
tribes of Sioux which had been expected by the 
great war j)arty, and that they had been incited 
to hostility by the two chiefs who had been en- 
raged by the refusal and the menace of Mr. Hunt. 
Here then was a fearful predicament. Mr. Hunt 
and his crew seemed caught, as it were, in a trap. 
The Indians, to the number of about a hundred, 
had already taken possession of a point near which 
the boat would have to pass : others kept pouring 
down the bank, and it was probable that some 
would remain posted on the top of the height. 

The hazardous situation of Mr. Hunt was per- 
ceived by those in the other boats, and they has- 
tened to his assistance. They were at some dis- 
tance above the sand-bar, however, and on the 
opposite side of the river, and saw, with intense 
anxiety, the number of savages continually aug- 
menting, at the lower end of the channel, so that 
the boat would be exposed to a fearful attack 
before they could render it any assistance. Their 



INDIAN FRIENDS. 225 

anxiety increased, as they saw Mr. Hunt and his 
party descending the channel and dauntlessly ap- 
proaching the j)oint of danger; but it suddenly 
changed into surprise on beholding the boat pass 
close by the savage horde unnaolested, and steer 
out safely into the broad river. 

The next moment the whole band of warriors 
was in motion. They ran along the bank until 
they were opposite to the boats, then thi'owing 
by their weapons and buffalo robes, plunged into 
the river, waded and swam off to the boats and 
surrounded them in crowds, seeking to shake hands 
with every individual on board; for the Indians 
have long since found tliis to be the white man's 
token of amity, and they carry it to an extreme. 

All uneasiness was now at an end. The In- 
dians proved to be a war party of Arickaras, Man- 
dans, and ]\Iinatarees, consisting of three hundred 
warriors, and bound on a foray against the Sioux. 
Their war plans were abandoned for the present, 
and they determined to return to the Arickara 
town, where they hoped to obtain from the white 
men arms and ammunition that would enable them 
to take the field with advantage over their enemies. 

The boats now sought the first convenient place 
for encamping. The tents were pitched ; the war- 
riors fixed their camp at about a hundred yards 
distant ; provisions were furnished from the boats 
sufficient for all parties ; there was hearty though 
rude feasting in both camps, and in the evening 
the red warriors entertained their white friends 
with dances and songs, that lasted until after mid- 
night. 

15 



226 ASTORIA. 

On the following morning (July 3) the travel- 
lers reembarked, and took a temporary leave of 
their Indian friends, who intended to proceed im- 
mediately for the Arickara town, where they 
expected to arrive in three days, long before the 
boats conld reach there. Mr. Hunt had not 
proceeded far before the chief came galloping 
along the shore and made signs for a parley. 
He said, his people could not go home satisfied 
unless they had something to take with them to 
prove that they had met with the white men. 
Mr. Hunt understood the drift of the speech, and 
made the chief a present of a cask of powder, 
a bag of balls, and three dozen of knives, with 
wliich he was highly pleased. Wliile the cliief 
was receiving these presents an Indian came run- 
ning along the shore, and announced that a boat, 
filled with white men, was coming up the river. 
This was by no means agreeable tidings to Mr. 
Hunt, who correctly concluded it to be the boat 
of Mr. Manuel Lisa ; and he was vexed to find 
that alert and adventurous trader upon his heels, 
whom he hoped to have out-maneuvered, and left 
far behmd. Lisa, however, was too much ex- 
perienced in the wiles of Indian trade to be 
lulled by the promise of waiting for him at the 
Poncas village ; on the contrary, he had allowed 
himself no repose, and had strained every nerve 
to overtake the rival party, and availing himself 
of the moonlight, had even sailed during a con- 
siderable part of the night. In tliis he was 
partly prompted by his apprehensions of the 
Sioux, having met a boat which had probably 



APPROACH OF LISA. 227 

passed Mr. Hunt's party in the night, and which 
hacl been fired into by these savages. 

On hearing that Lisa was so near at hand, 
Mr. Hunt perceived that it was useless to attempt 
any longer to evade him ; after proceedmg a 
few miles further, therefore, he came to a halt 
and waited for him to come up. In a little while 
the barge of Lisa made its appearance. It came 
sweeping gently up the river, manned by its 
twenty stout oarsmen, and armed by a swivel 
mounted at the bow. The whole number on 
board amounted to twenty-six men ; among 
whem was Mr. Henry Breckenridge, then a 
young, enterprising man ; who was a mere pas- 
senger, tempted by notions of curiosity to accom- 
pany Mr. Lisa. He has since made himself known 
by various writing, among which may be noted a 
narrative of this very voyage. 

The approach of Lisa, while it was regarded 
with uneasiness by Mr. Hunt, roused the u-e of 
M'Lellan ; who, calling to mind old grievances, 
began to look round for his rifle, as if he really 
intended to carry his threat into execution and 
shoot him on the spot ; and it was with some 
difficulty that Mr. Hunt was enabled to restrain 
his ire, and j^revent a scene of outrage and con- 
fusion. * 

The meeting between the two leaders, thus 
mutually distrustful, could not be very cordial : 
and as to Messrs. Crooks and M'Lellan, though 
they refrained from any outbreak, yet they re- 
garded in grim defiance their old rival and under- 
plotter. In truth a general distrust prevailed 



228 ASTORIA. 

throughout the party concerning Lisa and his 
intentions. They considered him artful and 
slijDpery, and secretly anxious for the failure 
of their expedition. There being now noth- 
ing more to be apprehended from the Sioux, 
they suspected that Lisa would take advantage 
of his twenty-oared barge to leave them and get 
first among the Arickaras. As he had traded 
with those people and possessed great influence 
over them, it was feared he might make use of 
it to impede the business of Mr. Hunt and his 
party. It was resolved, therefore, to keep a 
sharp look-out upon his movements ; and M'Lel- 
lan swore that if he saw the least sign of treach- 
ery on liis part, he would instantly put liis old 
threat into execution. 

Nothwithstanding these secret jealousies and 
heart-burnings, the two parties maintained an 
outward appearance of civility, and for two days 
continued forward in company with some degree 
of harmony. On the third day, however, an ex- 
plosion took place, and it was produced by no 
less a personage than Pierre Dorion, the half- 
breed interpreter. It will be recollected that this 
worthy had been obhged to steal a march from St. 
Louis, to avoid being arrested for an old whiskey 
debt which he owed to the Missouri Fur Com- 
pany, and by which Mr. Lisa had hoped to pre- 
vent his enlisting in Mr. Hunt's expedition. 
Dorion, since the arrival of Lisa, had kept aloof 
and regarded him with a sullen and dogged as- 
pect. On the fifth of July the two parties were 
brought to a halt by a heavy rain, and remained 



THE RAGE OF PIERRE D ORION. 229 

encamped about a hundred yards apart. In the 
course of the day Lisa undertook to tamper with 
the faith of Pierre Dorion, and, inviting him on 
board of his boat, regaled him with liis favorite 
whiskey. When he thought him sufficiently mel- 
lowed, he proposed to him to quit the service of 
his new employers and return to his old allegi- 
ance. Finding him not to be moved by soft 
words, he called to mind his old debt to the 
company, and threatened to carry him off by 
force, in payment of it. The mention of this 
debt always stirred up the gall of Pierre Dorion, 
bringing with it the remembrance of the whiskey 
extortion. A violent quarrel arose between him 
and Lisa, and he left the boat in high dudgeon. 
His first step was to repair to the tent of Mr. 
Hunt and reveal the attempt that had been made 
to shake his faith. While he was yet talking 
Lisa entered the tent, under the pretext of com- 
ing to borrow a towing line. High words in- 
stantly ensued between him and Dorion, wliich 
ended by the half-breed's dealing him a blow. 
A quarrel in the " Ladian country," however, is 
not to be settled with fisticuffs. Lisa immedi- 
ately rushed to his boat for a weapon. Dorion 
snatched up a pair of pistols belonging to Mr. 
Hunt, and placed himself in battle array. The 
noise had roused the camp, and every one pressed 
to know the cause. Lisa now reappeared upon 
the field with a knife stuck in his girdle. Mr. 
Breckenridge, who had tried in vain to mollify 
his ire, accompanied liim to the scene of action. 
Pierre Dorion's pistols gave him the advantage. 



230 ASTORIA, 

and he maintained a most warlike attitude. In 
the meantime, Crooks and M'Lellan had learnt 
the cause of the atFray, and were each eager to 
take the quarrel into their own hands. A scene 
of uproar and hubbub ensued that defies descrip- 
tion. M'Lellan would have brought his rifle 
into play and settled all old and new grudges 
by a pull of the trigger, had he not been re- 
strained by Mr. Hunt. That gentleman acted 
as moderator, endeavoring to prevent a general 
melee ; in the midst of the brawl, however, an 
expression was made use of by Lisa derogatory 
to his own honor. In an instant the tranquil 
spirit of Mr. Hunt was* in a flame. He now 
became as eager for the fight as any one on the 
ground, and challenged Lisa to settle the dispute 
on the spot with pistols. Lisa repaired to his 
boat to arm himself for the deadly feud. He 
was followed by Messrs. Bradbury and Brecken- 
ridge, who, novices in Indian life and the " chiv- 
alry " of the frontier, had no relish for scenes of 
blood and brawl. By their earnest mediation 
the quarrel was brought to a close without blood- 
shed ; but the two leaders of the rival camps sep- 
arated in anger, and all personal intercourse ceased 
between them. 



CHAPTER XX. 



HE rival parties now coasted along the 
opposite sides of the river, within sight 
of each other ; the barges of Mr. Hunt 
always keeping some distance in the advance, lest 
Lisa should push on and get first to the Arickara 
village. The scenery and objects, as they pro- 
ceeded, gave evidence that they were advancing 
deeper and deeper into the domains of savage 
nature. Boundless wastes kept extending to the 
eye, more and more animated by herds of buf- 
falo. Sometimes these unwieldy animals were 
seen moving in long procession across the silent 
landscape ; at other times they were scattered 
about, singly or in groups, on the broad, enam- 
eled prairies and green acclivities, some cropping 
the rich pasturage, others reclining amidst the 
flowery herbage ; the whole scene realizing in a 
manner the old Scriptural descriptions of the 
vast pastoral countries of the Orient, with " cattle 
upon a thousand hills." 

At one place the shores seemed absolutely 
lined with buffaloes ; many were making their 
way across the stream, snorting, and blowing, 
and floundering. Numbers, in spite of every 
effort, were borne by the rapid current within 
shot of the boats, and several were killed. At 



232 ASTORIA. 

another place a number were descried on the 
beach of a small island, under the shade of the 
trees, or standing in the water, like cattle, to 
avoid the flies and the heat of the day. 

Several of the best marksmen stationed them- 
selves in the bow of a barge which advanced 
slowly and silently, stemming the current with 
the aid of a broad sail and a fair breeze. The 
buffaloes stood gazing quietly at the barge as it 
approached, perfectly unconscious of their danger. 
The fattest of the herd was selected by the hun- 
ters, who all fired together and brought down 
their victim. 

Beside the buffaloes they saw abundance of 
deer, and frequent gangs of stately elks, together 
with light troops of sprightly antelopes, the fleet- 
est and most beautiful inhabitants of the prairies. 

There are two kinds of antelopes in these re- 
gions, one nearly the size of the common deer, 
the other not much larger than a goat. Their 
color is a light gray, or rather dun, slightly spot- 
ted with white ; and they have small horns like 
those of the deer, which they never shed. Noth- 
ing can surpass the delicate and elegant finish of 
their limbs, in which lightness, elasticity, and 
strength are wonderfully combined. All the at- 
titudes and movements of this beautiful animal 
are graceful and picturesque ; and it is altogether 
as fit a subject for the fanciful uses of the poet 
as the oft-sung gazelle of the East. 

Their habits are shy and capricious ; they keep 
on the open plains, are quick to take the alarm, 
and bound away with a fleetness that defies pur- 



INQUISITIVENESS OF ANTELOPES. 233 

suit. When thus skimming across a prairie in 
the autumn, their light gray or dun color blends 
with the hue of the withered herbage, the swift- 
ness of their motion baffles the eye, and they 
almost seem unsubstantial forms, driven like gos- 
samer before the wind. 

While they thus keep to the open plain and 
trust to their speed, they are safe ; but they have 
a prurient curiosity that sometimes betrays them 
to their ruin. When they have scud for some 
distance and left their pursuer behind, they will 
suddenly stop and turn to gaze at the object of 
their alarm. If the pursuit is not followed up 
they will, after a time, yield to their inquisitive 
hankering, and return to the place from whence 
they have been frightened. 

John Day, the veteran hunter already men- 
tioned, displayed his experience and skill in en- 
trapping one of these beautiful animals. Taking 
advantage of its well known curiosity, he laid 
down flat among the grass, and putting his hand- 
kerchief on the end of his ramrod, waved it 
gently in the air. This had the effect of the 
fabled fascination of the rattlesnake. The ante- 
lope approached timidly, pausing and reconnoit- 
ring with increased curiosity ; moving round the 
point of attraction in a circle, but still drawing 
nearer and nearer, until being within the range 
of the deadly rifle, he fell a victim to his curi- 
osity. 

On the 10th of June, as the party were mak- 
ing brisk progress with a fine breeze, they met a 
canoe with three Indians descending the river. 



234 ASTORIA. 

They came to a parley, and brought news from 
the Arickara village. The war party, which had 
caused such alarm at the sand-bar, had reached 
the village some days previously, announced the 
approach of a party of traders, and displayed with 
great ostentation the presents they had received 
from them. On further conversation with these 
three Indians, Mr. Hunt learnt the real danger 
which he had run, when hemmed up within the 
sand-bar. The Mandans who were of the war 
party, when they saw the boat so completely en- 
trapped and apparently within their power, had 
been eager for attacking it, and securing so rich a 
prize. The Minatarees, also, were nothing loth, 
feeling in some measure committed in hostility to 
the whites, in consequence of their tribe having 
killed two white men above the fort of the Mis- 
souri Fur Company. Fortunately, the Arickaras, 
who formed the majority of the war party, proved 
true in their friendship to the whites, and pre- 
vented any hostile act, otherwise a bloody affray, 
and perhaps a horrible massacre might have en- 
sued. 

On the 11th of June, Mr. Hunt and his com- 
panions encamped near an island about six miles 
below the Arickara village. Mr. Lisa encamped, 
as usual, at no great distance ; but the same sul- 
len and jealous reserve, and non-intercourse con- 
tinued between them. Shortly after pitching the 
tents, Mr. Breckenridge made his appearance as 
an ambassador from the rival camp. He came 
on behalf of his companions, to arrange the man- 
ner of making their entrance into the village and 



AN ARICKARA EMBASSY. 235 

of receiving the chiefs ; for everything of the 
kind is a matter of grave ceremonial among the 
Indians. 

The partners now expressed frankly their deep 
distrust of the intentions of Mr. Lisa, and their 
apprehensions, that, out of the jealousy of trade, 
and resentment of recent disputes, he might seek 
to instigate the Arickaras against them. Mr. 
Breckenridge assured them that their suspicions 
were entirely groundless, and pledged himself 
that nothing of the kind should take place. He 
found it difficult, however, to remove their dis- 
trust ; the conference, therefore, ended without 
producing any cordial understanding ; and M'Lel- 
lan recurred to his old threat of shooting Lisa the 
instant he discovered anything like treachery in 
his proceedings. 

That night the rain fell in torrents, accom- 
panied by thunder and lightning. The camp was 
deluged, and the bedding and baggage drenched. 
All hands embarked at an early hour, and set 
forward for the village. About nine o'clock, 
when half way, they met a canoe, on board of 
which were two Arickara dignitaries. One, a 
fine-looking man, much above the common size, 
was hereditary chief of the village ; he was called 
the Left-handed, on account of a personal pecul- 
iarity. The other, a ferocious-looking savage, 
was the war chief, or generalissimo ; he was 
known by the name of the Big Man, an appella- 
tion he well deserved from his size, for he was of 
a gigantic frame. Both were of fairer complex- 
ion than is usual with savages. 



236 ASTORIA. 

They were accompanied by an interpreter ; a 
French Creole, one of those haphazard wights of 
Gallic origin who abound upon our frontier, liv- 
ing among the Indians like one of their own race. 
He had been twenty years among the Arickaras, 
had a squaw and troop of piebald children, and 
officiated as interpreter to the chiefs. Through 
this worthy organ the two dignitaries signified to 
Mr. Hunt their sovereign intention to oppose the 
further progress of the expedition up the river 
unless a boat were left to trade with them. Mr. 
Hunt in reply, explained the object of his voyage, 
and his intention of debarking at their village and 
proceeding thence by land; and that he would 
willingly trade with them for a supply of horses 
for his journey. With this explanation they were 
perfectly satisfied, and putting about, steered for 
their village to make preparations for the recep- 
tion of the strangers. 

The village of the Rikaras, Arickaras, or Ric- 
arees, for the name is thus variously written, is 
between the 46th and 47th parallels of north 
latitude, and fourteen hundred and thirty miles 
above the mouth of the Missouri. The party 
reached it about ten o'clock in the morning, but 
landed on the opposite side of the river, where 
they spread out their baggage and effects to dry. 
From hence they commanded an excellent view 
of the village- It was divided into two portions, 
about eighty yards apart, being inhabited by two 
distinct bands. The whole extended about three- 
quarters of a mile along the river bank, and was 
composed of conical lodges, that looked like so 



" THE LEFT-HANDED'' INVITATION. 237 

many small hillocks, being wooden frames inter- 
twined with osier, and covered with earth. The 
plain beyond the village swept up into hills of 
considerable height, but the whole country was 
nearly destitute of trees. While they were re- 
garding the village, they beheld a singular fleet 
coming down the river. It consisted of a num- 
ber of canoes, each made of a single buffalo hide 
stretched on sticks, so as to form a kind of circu- 
lar trough. Each one was navigated by a single 
squaw, who knelt in the bottom and paddled ; 
towing after her frail bark a bundle of floating 
wood intended for firing. This kind of canoe is 
in frequent use among the Indians ; the buffalo 
hide being readily made up into a bundle and 
transported on horse-back ; it is very serviceable 
in conveying baggage across the rivers. 

The great number of horses grazing around 
the village, and scattered over the neighboring 
hills and valleys, bespoke the equestrian habit of 
the Arickaras, who are admirable horsemen. In- 
deed, in the number of his horses consists the 
wealth of an Indian of the prairies ; who resem- 
bles an Arab in his passion for this noble animal, 
and in his adroitness in the management of it. 

After a time, the voice of the sovereign chief, 
" the Left-handed," was heard across the river, 
announcing that the council lodge was preparing, 
and inviting the white men to come over. The 
river was half a mile in width, yet every word 
uttered by the chieftain was heard ; this may be 
partly attributed to the distinct manner in which 
every syllable of the compound words in the In- 



238 ASTORIA. 

dian languages is articulated and accented ; but 
in truth, a savage warrior might often rival 
Achilles himself for force of lungs.^ 

Now came the delicate point of management — 
how the two rival parties were to conduct their 
visit to the village with proper circumspection 
and due decorum. Neither of the leaders had 
spoken to each other since their quarrel. All 
communication had been by ambassadors. See- 
ing the jealousy entertained of Lisa, Mr. Breck- 
enridge, in his negotiation, had arranged that a 
deputation from each party should cross the river 
at the same time, so that neither would have the 
first access to the ear of the Arickaras. 

The distrust of Lisa, however, had increased 
in proportion as they approached the sphere of 
action ; and M'Lellan, in particular, kept a vigilant 
eye upon his motions, swearing to shoot him if he 
attempted to cross the river first. 

About two o'clock the large boat of Mr. Hunt 
was manned, and he stepped on board, accompa- 
nied by Messrs. M'Kenzie and M'Lellan ; Lisa 
at the same time embarked in his barge ; the 
two deputations amounted in all to fourteen per- 
sons, and never was any movement of rival po- 
tentates conducted with more wary exactness. 

They landed amidst a rabble crowd, and were 
received on the bank by the left-handed chief, 
who conducted them into the village with grave 
courtesy ; driving to the right and left the 
swarms of old squaws, imp-like boys, and vag- 
abond dogs, with which the place abounded. 
1 Bradbury, p. 110. 



ARICKARA COUNCIL LODGE. 339 

They wound their way between the cabins, which 
looked like dirt-heaps huddled together without 
any plan, and surrounded by old palisades ; all 
filthy in the extreme, and redolent of villainous 
smells. 

At length they arrived at the council lodge. 
It was somewhat spacious, and formed of four 
forked trunks of trees placed upright, supporting 
cross-beams and a frame of poles interwoven 
with osiers, and the whole covered with earth. 
A hole sunken in the centre formed the fireplace, 
and immediately above was a circular hole in the 
apex of the lodge, to let out the smoke and let in 
the daylight. Around the lodge were recesses 
for sleeping, like the berths on board ships, 
screened from view by curtains of dressed skins. 
At the upper end of the lodge was a kind of 
hunting and warlike trophy, consisting of two 
buffalo heads gairishly painted, surmounted by 
shields, bows, quivers of arrows, and other weap- 
ons. 

On entering t»he lodge the chief pointed to 
mats or cushions which had been placed around 
for the strangers, and on which they seated them- 
selves, while he placed himself on a kind of stool. 
An old man then came forward with the pipe 
of peace or good-fellowship, lighted and handed 
it to the chief, and then falling back, squatted 
himself near the door. The pipe was passed 
from mouth to mouth, each one taking a whiff, 
which is equivalent to the inviolable pledge of 
faith, of taking salt together among the ancient 
Britons. The chief then made a sign to the 



240 ASTORIA. 

old pipe-bearer, who seemed to fill, likewise, the 
station of herald, seneschal, and public crier, for 
he ascended to the top of the lodge to make proc- 
lamation. Here he took his post beside the 
aperture for the emission of smoke and the ad- 
mission of light ; the chief dictated from within 
what he was to proclaim, and he bawled it forth 
with a force of lungs that resounded over all the 
village. In this way he summoned the warriors 
and great men to council ; every now and then 
reporting progress to his chief through the hole 
in the roof. 

In a little while the braves and sages began to 
enter one by one, as their names were called or 
announced, emerging from under the buffalo robe 
suspended over the entrance instead of a door, 
stalking across the lodge to the skins placed on 
the floor, and crouching down on them in silence. 
In this way twenty entered and took their seats, 
forming an assemblage worthy of the pencil : for 
the Arickaras are a noble race of men, large and 
well formed, and maintain a ^savage grandeur 
and gravity of demeanor in their solemn cere- 
monials. 

All being seated, the old seneschal prepared 
the pipe of ceremony or council, and having lit 
it, handed it to the chief. He inhaled the sacred 
smoke, gave a puff upward to the heaven, then 
downward to the earth, then towards the east ; 
after this it was as usual passed from mouth to 
mouth, each holding it respectfully until his 
neighbor had taken several whiffs ; and now the 
grand council was considered as opened in due 
form. 



THE SPEECH OF LISA. 241 

The chief made an harangue welcoming the 
white men to his village, and expressing his hap- 
piness in taking them by the hand as friends ; but 
at the same time complaining of the poverty of 
himself and his people ; the usual prelude among 
Indians to begging or hard bargaining. 

Lisa rose to reply, and the eyes of Hunt and 
his companions were eagerly turned upon him, 
those of M'Lellan glaring like a basilisk's. He 
began by the usual expressions of friendship, and 
then proceeded to explain the object of his own 
party. Those persons, however, said he, point- 
ing to Mr. Hunt and his companions, are of a 
different party, and are quite distinct in their 
views ; but, added he, though we are separate par- 
ties, we make but one common cause when the 
safety of either is concerned. Any injury or 
insult offered to them I shall consider as done to 
myself, and will resent it accordingly. I trust, 
therefore, that you will treat them with the same 
friendship that you have always manifested for 
me, doing everything in your power to serve 
them and to help them on their way. The 
speech of Lisa, delivered with an air of frankness 
and sincerity, agreeably surprised and disap- 
pointed the rival party. 

Mr. Hunt then spoke, declaring the object of 
his journey to the great Salt Lake beyond the 
mountains, and that he should want horses for 
the purpose, for which he was ready to trade, 
having brought with him plenty of goods. Both 
he and Lisa concluded their speeches by making 
presents of tobacco. 
16 



242 ASTORIA. 

The left-handed chieftain in reply promised his 
friendship and aid to the new comers, and wel- 
comed them to his village. He added that they 
had not the number of horses to spare that Mr. 
Hunt required, and expressed a doubt whether 
they should be able to part with any. Upon 
this, another chieftain, called Gray Eyes, made a 
speech, and declared that they could readily sup- 
ply Mr. Hunt with all the horses he might want, 
since, if they had not enough in the village, they 
could easily steal more. This honest expedient 
immediately removed the main difficulty ; but the 
chief deferred all trading for a day or two; until 
he should have time to consult with his subordi- 
nate chiefs as to market rates ; for the principal 
chief of a village, in conjunction with his council, 
usually fixes the prices at which articles shall be 
bouo^ht and sold, and to them the villaoje must 
conform. 

The council now broke up. Mr. Hunt trans- 
ferred his camp across the river at a little dis- 
tance below the village, and the left-handed chief 
placed some of his warriors as a guard to prevent 
the intrusion of any of his people. The camp 
was pitched on the river bank just above the 
boats. The tents, and the men wrapped in their 
blankets and bivouacking on skins in the open 
air, surrounded the baggage at night. Four sen- 
tinels also kept watch within sight of each other 
outside of the camp until midnight, when they 
were relieved by four others who mounted guard 
until daylight. Mr. Lisa encamped near to Mr. 
Hunt, between him and the village. 



HARMONY BETWEEN THE RIVALS. 243 

The speech of Mr. Lisa in the council had 
produced a pacific effect in the encampment. 
Though the sincerity of his friendship and good- 
will towards the new company still remained 
matter of doubt, he was no longer suspected of an 
intention to play false. The intercourse between 
the two leaders was therefore resumed, and the 
affairs of both parties went on harmoniously. 








CHAPTER XXL 

TRADE now commenced with the 
Arickaras under the regulation and su- 
pervision of their two chieftains. Lisa 
sent a part of his goods to the lodge of the left- 
handed dignitary, and Mr. Hunt established his 
mart in the lodge of the Big Man. The village 
soon presented the appearance of a busy fair ; 
and as horses were in demand, the purlieus and 
the adjacent plain were like the vicinity of a 
Tartar encampment ; horses were put through 
all their paces, and horsemen were careeriug 
about with that dexterity and grace for which 
the Arickaras are noted. As soon as a horse 
was purchased, his tail was cropped, a sure mode 
of distinguishing him from the horses of tlic 
tribe; for the Lidians disdain to practise this 
absurd, barbarous, and indecent mutilation, in- 
vented by some mean and vulgar mind, insensible 
to the merit and perfections of the animal. On 
the contrary, the Indian horses are suffered to 
remain in every respect the superb and beautiful 
animals which nature formed them. 

The wealth of an Indian of the far west con- 
sists principally in his horses, of which each 
chief and warrior possesses a great number, so 
that the plains about an Indian village or en- 



HORSE TRADING. 245 

campment are covered with them, These form 
objects of traffic, or objects of depredation, and 
in this way pass from tribe to tribe over great 
tracts of country. The horses owned by the 
Arickaras are, for the most part, of the wild 
stock of the prairies ; some however, had been 
obtained from the Poncas, Pawnees, and other 
tribes to the southwest, who had stolen them 
from the Spaniards in the course of horse-stealing 
expeditions into the Mexican territories. These 
were to be known by being branded ; a Spanish 
mode of marking horses not practiced by the In- 
dians. 

As the Arickaras were meditating another ex- 
pedition against their enemies the Sioux, the ar- 
ticles of traffic most in demand were guns, tom- 
ahawks, scalping-knives, powder, ball, and other 
munitions of war. The price of a horse, as 
regulated by the chiefs, was commonly ten dol- 
lars worth of goods at first cost. To supply the 
demand thus suddenly created, parties of young 
men and braves had sallied forth on expeditions 
to steal horses ; a species of service among the 
Indians which takes precedence of hunting, and 
is considered a department of honorable warfare. 

While the leaders of the expedition were ac- 
tively engaged in preparing for the approaching 
journey, those who had accompanied it for curi- 
osity or amusement, found ample matter for ob- 
servation in the village and its inhabitants. 
Wherever they went they were kindly enter- 
tained. If they entered a lodge, the buffalo 
robe was spread before the fire for them to sit 



246 ASTORIA. 

down ; the pipe was brought, and while the 
master of the lodge conversed with his guests, 
the squaw put the earthen vessel over the fire, 
well filled with dried-buffalo meat and pounded 
corn; for the Indian in his native state, before 
he has mingled much with white men, and ac- 
quired their sordid habits, has the hospitality of 
the Arab : never does a stranger enter his door 
without having food placed before him ; and 
never is the food thus furnished made a matter 
of traffic. 

The life of an Indian when at home in his 
village is a life of indolence and amusement. 
To the woman is consigned the labors of the 
household and the field ; she arranges the lodge ; 
brings wood for the fire ; cooks ; jerks venison 
and buffalo meat; dresses the skins of the an- 
imals killed in the chase ; cultivates the little 
patch of maize, pumpkins, and pulse, which fur- 
nishes a great part of their provisions. Their 
time for repose and recreation is at sunset, 
when the labors of the day being ended, they 
gather together to amuse themselves with petty 
games, or to hold gossiping convocations on the 
tops of their lodges. 

As to the Indian, he is a game animal, not to 
be degraded by useful or menial toil. It is 
enough that he exposes himself to the hardships 
of the chase and the perils of war ; that he brings 
home food for his family, and watches and fights 
for its protection. Everything else is beneath 
his attention. When at home, he attends only 
to his weapons and his horses, preparing the 



DOMESTIC LIFE OF AN INDIAN. 247 

means of future exploit. Or he engages with 
his comrades in games of dexterity, agility and 
strength ; or in gambling games in which every- 
thing is put at hazard with a recklessness seldom 
witnessed in civilized life. 

A great part of the idle leisure of the In- 
dians when at home, is passed in groups, squat- 
ted together on the bank of a river, on the top 
of a mound on the prairie, or on the roof of one 
of their earth-covered lodges, talking over the 
news of the day, the affairs of the tribe, the 
events and exploits of their last hunting or fight- 
ing expedition; or listening to the stories of old 
times told by some veteran chronicler ; resem- 
bling a group of our village quidnuncs and pol- 
iticians, listening to the prosings of some super- 
annuated oracle, or discussing the contents of an 
ancient newspaper. 

As to the Indian women, they are far from 
complaining of their lot. On the contrary, they 
would despise their husbands could they stoop to 
any menial office, and would think it conveyed 
an imputation upon their own conduct. It is 
the worst insult one virago can cast upon an- 
other in a moment of altercation. " Infamous 
woman ! " will she cry, " I have seen your husband 
carrying wood into his lodge to make the fire. 
Where was his squaw, that he should be obliged 
to make a woman of himself!" 

Mr. Hunt and his fellow travellers had not 
been many days at the Ariekara village, when 
rumors began to circulate that the Sioux had fol- 
lowed them up, and that a war party, four or 



248 ASTORIA. 

five hundred in number, were lurking some- 
where in the neighborhood. These rumors pro- 
duced much embarrassment in the camp. The 
white hunters were deterred from venturing 
forth in quest of game, neither did the leaders 
think it proper to expose them to such a risk. 
The Arickaras, too, who had suffered greatly in 
their wars with this cruel and ferocious tribe, 
were roused to increased vigilance, and stationed 
mounted scouts upon the neighboring hills. 
This, however, is a general precaution among 
the tribes of the prairies. Those immense 
plains present a horizon like the ocean, so that 
any object of importance can be descried afar, 
and information communicated to a great dis- 
tance. The scouts are stationed on the hills, 
therefore, to look out both for game and for ene- 
mies, and are, in a manner, living telegraphs 
conveying their intelligence by concerted signs. 
If they wish to give notice of a herd of buffalo 
in the plain beyond, they gallop backwards and 
forwards abreast, on the summit of the hill. If 
they perceive an enemy at hand, they gallop to 
and fro, crossing each other ; at sight of which 
the whole village flies to arms. 

Such an alarm was given in the afternoon of 
the 15th. Four scouts were seen crossing and 
recrossing each other at full gallop, on the sum- 
mit of a hill about two miles distant down the 
river. The cry was up that the Sioux were 
coming. In an instant the village was in an up- 
roar. Men, women, and children were all brawl- 
ing and shouting; dogs barking, yelping, and 



AN ARICKARA EXCITEMENT. 249 

howling. Some of the warriors ran for the 
horses to gather and drive them in from the prairie, 
some for their weapons. As fast as they could 
arm and equip they sallied forth ; some on horse- 
back, some on foot. Some hastily arrayed in 
their war dress, with coronets of fluttering feath- 
ers, and their bodies smeared with paint ; others 
naked and only furnished with the weapons they 
had snatched up. The women and children 
gathered on the tops of the lodges and height- 
ened the confusion of the scene by their vocif- 
eration. Old men who could no longer bear 
arms took similar stations, and harangued the 
warriors as they passed, exhorting them to val- 
orous deeds. Some of the veterans took arms 
themselves, and sallied forth with tottering steps. 
In this way, the savage chivalry of the village 
to the number of five hundred, poured forth, hel- 
ter-skelter, riding and running, with hideous 
yells and war-whoopS; like so many bedlamites 
or demoniacs let loose. 

After a while the tide of war rolled back, but 
with far less uproar. Either it had been a false 
alarm, or the enemy had retreated on finding 
themselves discovered, and quiet was restored to 
the village. The white hunters continuing to be 
fearful of ranging this dangerous neighborhood, 
fresh provisions began to be scarce in the camp. 
As a substitute, therefore, for vension and buffalo 
meat, the travelers had to purchase a number of 
dogs to be shot and cooked for the supply of the 
camp. Fortunately, however charry the Indians 
might be of their horses, they were liberal of their 



250 ASTORIA. 

dogs. In fact, these animals swarm about an 
Indian village as they do about a Turkish town. 
Not a family but has two or three dozen belong- 
ing to it, of all sizes and colors ; some of a 
superior breed are used for hunting ; others, to 
draw the sledge, while others, of a mongrel breed, 
and idle vagabond nature, are fattened for food. 
They are supposed to be descended from the 
wolf, and retain something of his savage but 
cowardly temper, howling rather than barking ; 
showing their teeth and snarling on the slightest 
provocation, but sneaking away on the least 
attack. 

The excitement of the village continued from 
day to day. On the day following the alarm just 
mentioned, several parties arrived from different 
directions, and were met and conducted by some 
of the braves to the council lodge, where they 
reported the events and success of their expedi- 
tions, whether of war or hunting ; which news 
was afterwards promulgated throughout the vil- 
lage, by certain old men who acted as heralds or 
town criers. Among the parties which arrived 
was one that had been among the Snake nation 
stealing horses, and returned crowned with suc- 
cess. As they passed in triumph through the 
village they were cheered by the men, women, 
and children, collected as usual on the tops of the 
lodges, and were exhorted by the Nestors of the 
village to be generous in their dealings with the 
white men. 

The evening was spent in feasting and re- 
joicing among the relations of the successful war- 



A CHEYENNE EMBASSY. 251 

riors ; but the sounds of grief and wailing were 
heard from the hills adjacent to the village — the 
lamentations of women who had lost some rela- 
lative in the foray. 

An Indian village is subject to continual 
agitations and excitements. The next day arrived 
a deputation of braves from the Cheyenne or 
Shienne nation ; a broken tribe, cut up, like the 
Arickaras, by wars with the Sioux, and driven to 
take refui^e amono^ the Black Hills, near the 
sources of the Cheyenne River, from which they 
derive their name. One of these deputies was 
magnificently arrayed in a buffalo robe, on which 
various figures were fancifully embroidered with 
split quills dyed red and yellow ; and the whole 
was fringed with the slender hoofs of young 
fawns, that rattled as he walked. 

The arrival of this deputation was the signal 
for another of those ceremonials which occupy so 
much of Indian life ; for no being is more courtly 
and punctillious, and more observing of etiquette 
and formality than an American savage. 

The object of the deputation was to give notice 
of an intended visit of the Shienne (or Cheyenne) 
tribe to the Arickara village in the course of 
fifteen days. To this visit Mr. Hunt looked 
forward to procure additional horses for his 
journey; all his bargaining being ineffectual in 
obtaining a sufficient supply from the Arickaras. 
Indeed, nothing could prevail upon the latter to 
part with their prime horses, which had been 
trained to buffalo hunting. 

As Mr. Hunt would have to abandon his boats 



252 ASTORIA. 

at this place, Mr. Lisa now offered to purchase 
them, and such of his merchandise as was super- 
flous, and to pay him in horses to be obtained at 
a fort belonging to the Missouri Fur Company, 
situated at the Mandan villages, about a hundred 
and fifty miles further up the river. A bargain 
was promptly made, and Mr. Lisa and Mr. 
Crooks, with several companions, set out for the 
fort to procure the horses. They returned, after 
upwards of a fortnight's absence, bringing with 
them the stipulated number of horses. Still 
the cavalry was not sufficiently numerous to con- 
vey the party and baggage and merchandise, and 
a few days more were required to complete the 
arrangements for the journey. 

On the 9th of July, just before daybreak, a 
great noise and vociferation was heard in the 
village. This being the usual Indian hour of 
attack and surprise, and the Sioux being known 
to be in the neighborhood, the camp was instantly 
on the alert. As the day broke Indians were 
descried in considerable number on the bluffs, 
three or four miles down the river. The noise 
and agitation in the village continued. The tops 
of the lodges were crowded with the inhabitants, 
all earnestly looking towards the hills, and keep- 
ing up a vehement chattering. Presently an 
Indian warrior galloped past the camp towards 
the village, and in a little while the legions began 
to pour forth. 

The truth of the matter was now ascertained. 
The Indians upon the distant hills were three 
hundred Arickara braves, returning from a foray. 



RETURN OF A WAR PARTY. 253 

They had met the war party of Sioux who had 
been so long hovering about the neighborhood, 
had fought them the day before, killed several, 
and defeated the rest with the loss of but two or 
three of their own men and about a dozen 
wounded ; and they were now halting at a dis- 
tance until their comrades in the village should 
come forth to meet them, and swell the parade of 
their triumphal entry. The warrior who had 
galloped past the camp was the leader of the 
party hastening home to give tidings of his vic- 
tory. 

Preparations were now made for this great 
martial ceremony. All the finery and equip- 
ments of the warriors were sent forth to them, 
that they might appear to the greatest advantage. 
Those, too, who had remained at home, tasked 
their wardrobes and toilets to do honor to the 
procession. 

The Arickaras generally go naked, but, like 
all savages, they have their gala dress, of which 
they are not a little vain. This usually consists 
of a gray surcoat and leggins of the dressed skin 
of the antelope, resembling chamois leather, and 
embroidered with porcupine quills brilliantly 
dyed. A buffalo robe is thrown over the right 
shoulder, and across the left is slung a quiver of 
arrows. They wear gay coronets of plumes, 
particularly those of the swan ; but the feathers 
of the black eagle are considered the most wor- 
thy, being a sacred bird among the Indian war- 
riors. He who has killed an enemy in his own 
land, is entitled to drag at his heels a fox-skin 



254 ASTORIA. 

attached to each moccasin ; and he who has slain 
a grizzly bear, wears a necklace of his claws, the 
most glorious trophy that a hunter can exhibit. 

An Indian toilet is an operation of some toil 
and trouble ; the warrior often has to paint him- 
self from head to foot, and is extremely capri- 
cious and difficult to please, as to the hideous dis- 
tribution of streaks and colors. A great part of 
the morning, therefore, passed away before there 
were any signs of the distant pageant. In the 
meantime a profound stillness reigned over the 
village. Most of the inhabitants had gone forth ; 
others remained in mute expectation. All sports 
and occupations were suspended, excepting that 
in the lodges the painstaking squaws were si- 
lently busied in preparing the repasts for the war- 
riors. 

It was near noon that a mingled sound of 
voices and rude music, faintly heard from a dis- 
tance, gave notice that the procession was on the 
march. The old men and such of the squaws as 
could leave their employments hastened forth to 
meet it. In a little while it emerged from be- 
hind a hill, and had a wild and picturesque ap- 
pearance as it came moving over the summit in 
measured step, and to the cadence of songs and 
savage instruments ; the warlike standards and 
trophies flaunting aloft, and the feathers, and 
paint, and silver ornaments of the warriors glar- 
ing and glittering in the sunshine. 

The pageant had really something chivalrous 
in its arrangement. The Arickaras are divided 
into several bands, each bearing the name of some 



TRIUMPHANT PROCESSION. 255 

animal or bird, as the buffalo, the bear, the dog, 
the pheasant. The present party consisted of 
four of these bands, one of which was the dog, 
the most esteemed on war, being composed of 
young men under thirty, and noted for prowess. 
It is engaged in the most desperate occasions. 
The bands marched in separate bodies under their 
several leaders. The warriors on foot came first, 
in platoons of ten or twelve abreast ; then the 
horsemen. Each band bore as an ensign a spear 
or bow decorated with beads, porcupine quills, 
and painted feathers. Each bore its trophies of 
scalps, elevated on poles, their long black locks 
streaming in the wind. Each was accompanied 
by its rude music and minstrelsy. In this way 
the procession extended nearly a quarter of a mile. 
The warriors were variously armed, some few 
with guns, others with bows and arrows, and war 
clubs ; all had shields of buffalo hide, a kind of 
defense generally used by the Indians of the 
open prairies, who have not the covert of trees 
and forests to protect them. They were painted 
in the most savage style. Some had the stamp 
of a red hand across their mouths, a sign that 
they had drunk the life-blood of a foe ! 

As they drew near to the village the old men 
and the women began to meet them, and now a 
scene ensued that proved the fallacy of the old 
fable of Indian apathy and stoicism. Parents 
and children, husbands and wives, brothers and 
sisters met with the most rapturous expressions 
of joy ; while wailings and lamentations were 
heard from the relatives of the killed and 



256 ASTORIA. 

wounded. The procession, however, continued 
on with slow and measured step, in cadence to 
the solemn chant, and the warriors maintained 
their fixed and stern demeanor. 

Between two of the principal chiefs rode a 
young warrior who had distinguished himself in 
the battle. He was severely wounded, so as 
with difficulty to keep on his horse ; but he pre- 
served a serene and steadfast countenance, as if 
perfectly unharmed. His mother had heard of 
his condition. She broke through the throng, 
and rushing up, threw her arms around him and 
wept aloud. He kept up the spirit and demeanor 
of a warrior to the last, but expired shortly af- 
ter he had reached his home. 

The village was now a scene of the utmost 
festivity and triumph. The banners, and tro- 
phies, and scalps, and painted shields were ele- 
vated on poles near the lodges. There were 
war-feasts, and scalp-dances, with warlike songs 
aud savage music ; all the inhabitants were ar- 
rayed in their festal dresses ; while the old her- 
alds went round from lodge to lodge, promulga- 
ting with loud voices the events of the battle 
and the exploits of the various warriors. 

Such was the boisterous revelry of the vil- 
lage ; but sounds of another kind were heard on 
the surrounding hills ; piteous wailings of the 
women, who had retired thither to mourn in 
darkness and solitude for those who had fallen 
in battle. There the poor mother of the youth- 
ful warrior who had returned home in triumph 
but to die, gave full vent to the anguish of a 



LAMENTATIONS AMONG THE HILLS. 257 

mother's heart. How much does this custom 
among the Indian women of repairing to the hill- 
tops in the night, and pouring forth their wait- 
ings for the dead, call to mind the beautiful and 
affecting passage of Scripture, "In Rama was 
there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, 
and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her 
children, and would not be comforted, because 
they are not." 



17 





CHAPTER XXII. 

IHILE Mr. Hunt was diligently preparing 
for his arduous journey, some of his men 
began to lose heart at the perilous pros- 
pect before them ; but before we accuse them of 
want of spirit, it is proper to consider the nature 
of the wilderness into which they were about to 
adventure. It was a region almost as vast and 
trackless as the ocean, and, at the time of which 
we treat, but little known, excepting through the 
vague accounts of Indian hunters. A part of 
their route would lay across an immense tract, 
stretching north and south for hundreds of miles 
along the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and drained 
by the tributary streams of the Missouri and the 
Mississippi. This region, wliich resembles one 
of the immeasurable steppes of Asia, has not in- 
aptly been termed " the great American desert." 
It spreads forth into undulating and treeless plains, 
and desolate sandy wastes wearisome to the eye 
from their extent and monotony, and which are 
supposed by geologists to have formed the ancient 
floor of the ocean, countless ages since, when its 
primeval waves beat against the granite bases of 
the Rocky Mountains. 

It is a land where no man permanently abides ; 
for, in certain seasons of the year there is no food 



WILDERNESS OF THE FAR WEST. 259 

either for the hunter or his steed. The herbage 
is parched and withered ; the brooks and streams 
are dried up ; the buffalo, the elk and the deer 
have wandered to distant parts, keeping within 
the verge of expiring verdure, and leavuig behind 
them a vast uninhabited solitude, seamed by 
ravines, the beds of former torrents, but now ser- 
ving only to tantaUze and increase the thirst of 
the traveller. 

Occasionally the monotony of this vast wilder- 
ness is interrupted by mountainous belts of sand 
and limestone, broken into confiised masses ; with 
precipitous cliffs and yawning ravines, lookmg like 
the ruins of a world ; or is traversed by lofty and 
barren ridges of rock, almost impassable, like those 
denominated the Black Hills. Beyond these rise 
the stern barriers of the Rocky Mountains, the 
limits, as it were, of the Atlantic world. The 
rugged defiles and deep valleys of this vast chain 
form sheltering places for restless and ferocious 
bands of savages, many of them the remnants of 
tribes, once inhabitants of the prairies, but broken 
up by war and violence, and who carry into their 
mountain haunts the fierce passions and reckless 
habits of desperadoes. 

Such is the nature of this immense wilderness 
of the far West ; which apparently defies cultiva- 
tion, and the habitation of civihzed life. Some 
portions of it along the rivers may partially be 
subdued by agriculture, others may form vast pas- 
toral tracts, like those of the East ; but it is to be 
feared that a great part of it will form a lawless 
interval between the abodes of civilized man, like 



260 ASTORIA. 

the wastes of the ocean or the deserts of Ai'abia ; 
and, like them, be subject to the depredations of 
the marauder. Here may spring up new and 
mongrel races, like new formations in geology, the 
amalgamation of the " debris" and " abrasions" of 
former races, civilized and savage ; the remains of 
broken and almost extinguished tribes ; the de- 
scendants of wandering hunters and trappers ; of 
fugitives from the Spanish and American frontiers ; 
of adventurers and desperadoes of every class and 
country, yearly ejected from the bosom of society 
into the wilderness. We are contributing inces- 
santly to swell this singular and heterogeneous 
cloud of wild population that is to hang about our 
frontier, by the transfer of whole tribes from the 
east of the Mississippi to the great wastes of the 
far West. Many of these bear with them the 
smart of real or fancied injuries j many consider 
themselves expatriated beings, wrongfully exiled 
from their hereditary homes, and the sepulchres 
of their fathers, and cherish a deep and abiding 
animosity against the race that has dispossessed 
them. Some may gradually become pastoral 
hordes, like those rude and migratory people, half 
shepherd, half warrior, who, with their flocks and 
herds, roam the plains of upper Asia ; but oth- 
ers, it is to be apprehended, will become preda- 
tory bands, mounted on the fleet steeds of the 
prairies, with the open plains for their marauding 
grounds, and the mountams for their retreats and 
lurking-places. Here they may resemble those 
great hordes of the North, " Gog and Magog 
with their bands," that haunted the gloomy im- 



THE HORSE AND THE INDIAN. 261 

aginations of the projDhets. " A great company 
and a mighty host, all riding upon horses, and 
warring upon those nations which were at rest, 
and dwelt peaceably, and had gotten cattle and 
goods." 

The Spaniards changed the whole character 
and habits of the Indians when they brought the 
horse among them. In Chili, Tucuman, and other 
parts, it has converted them, we are told, into 
Tartar-like tribes, and enabled them to keep the 
Spaniards out of their country, and even to make 
it dangerous for them to venture far from their 
towns and settlements. Are we not in danger of 
producing some such state of things in the bound- 
less regions of the far West. That these are not 
mere fanciful and extravagant suggestions we have 
sufficient proofs in the dangers already experienced 
by the traders to the Spanish mart of Santa Fe, 
and to the distant posts of the fur companies. 
These are obliged to proceed in armed caravans, 
and are subject to murderous attacks from bands 
of Pawnees, Camanches, and Blackfeet, that come 
scouring upon them in their weary march across 
the plains, or lie in wait for them among the 
passes of the mountains. 

We are wandering, however, into excursive 
speculations, when our intention was merely to 
give an idea of the nature of the wilderness 
which Mr. Hunt was about to traverse ; and 
which at that time was far less known than at 
present ; though it still remains in a great mea- 
sure an unknown land. We cannot be surprised, 
therefore, that some of the least resolute of his 



262 ASTORIA. 

jDarty should feel dismay at the thoughts of ad- 
venturing into this perilous wilderness under the 
uncertain guidance of three hunters, who had 
merely passed once through the country and might 
have forgotten the landmarks. Their appre- 
hensions were aggravated by some of Lisa's fol- 
lowers, who, not being engaged in the expedition, 
took a mischievous pleasure in exaggerating its 
dangers. They painted in strong colors, to the 
poor Canadian voyageurs, the risk they would 
run of perishing with hunger and thirst ; of be- 
ing cut off by war-parties of the Sioux who 
scoured the plains ; of having their horses stolen 
by the Upsarokas or Crows, who infested the 
skirts of the Rocky Mountains; or of being 
butchered by the Blackfeet, who lurked among 
the defiles. In a word, there was little chance 
of their getting alive accross the mountains ; 
and even if they did, those three guides knew 
nothing of the howling wilderness that lay be- 
yond. 

The apprehensions thus awakened in the minds 
of some of the men came well nigh proving 
detrimental to the expedition. Some of them 
determined to desert, and to make their way 
back to St. Louis. They accordingly purloined 
several weapons and a barrel of gunpowder, as 
ammunition for their enterprise, and buried them 
in the river bank, intending to seize one of the 
boats, and make off in the night. Fortunately 
their plot was overheard by John Day, the Ken- 
tuckian, and communicated to the partners, who 
took quiet and effectual means to frustrate it. 



DEPARTURE FROM THE ARICKARAS. 263 

The dangers to be apprehended from the Crow 
Indians had not been overrated by the camp gos- 
sips. These savages, through whose mountain 
haunts the party would have to j)ass, were noted 
for daring and excursive habits, and great dex- 
terity in horse stealing. Mr. Hunt, therefore, 
considered himself fortunate in having met with 
a man who might be of great use to him in any 
intercourse he might have with the tribe. This 
was a wandering individual named Edward Eose, 
whom he had picked up somewhere on the Mis- 
souri — one of those anomalous beings found on 
the frontier, who seem to have neither kin nor 
country. He had lived some time among the 
Crows, so as to become acquainted with their 
language and customs ; and was, withal, a dogged, 
sullen, silent fellow, with a sinister aspect, and 
more of the savage than the civilized man in 
his appearance. He was engaged to serve in 
general as a hunter, but as guide and inter- 
preter when they should reach the country of the 
Crows. 

On the 18th of July, Mr. Hunt took up his 
line of march by land from the Arickara vil- 
lage, leaving Mr. Lisa and Mr. Nuttall there, 
where they intended to await the expected ar- 
rival of Mr. Henry from the Rocky Mountains. 
As to Messrs. Bradbury and Breckenridge they 
had departed some days previously, on a voyage 
down the river to St. Louis, with a detachment 
from Mr. Lisa's party. With all his exertions, 
Mr. Hunt had been unable to obtain a sufficient 
number of horses for the accommodation of all 



264 ASTORIA. 

his people. His cavalcade consisted of eighty- 
two horses, most of them heavily laden with 
Indian goods, beaver traps, ammunition, Indian 
corn, corn meal and other necessaries. Each of 
the partners was mounted, and a horse was al- 
lotted to the interpreter, Pierre Dorion, for the 
transportation of his luggage and his two chil- 
dren. His squaw, for the most part of the time, 
trudged on foot, like the residue of the party ; 
nor did any of the men show more patience and 
fortitude than this resolute woman in enduring 
fatigue and hardship. 

The veteran trappers and voyageurs of Lisa's 
party shook their heads as their comrades set out, 
and took leave of them as of doomed men ; and 
even Lisa himself gave it as his opinion, after 
the travellers had departed, they would never 
reach the shores of the Pacific, but would either 
perish with hunger in the wilderness, or be cut 
off by the savages. 




CHAPTER XXin. 

HE course taken by ]Mi\ Hunt was at 
first to the northwest, but soon turned 
and kept generally to the southwest, to 
avoid the country infested by the Blackfeet. 
His route took him across some of the tributary 
streams of the IVIissouri, and over immense prai- 
ries, bounded only by the horizon, and destitute 
of trees. It was now the height of summer, 
and these naked plains would be intolerable to 
the traveller were it not for the breezes which 
sweep over them during the fervor of the day, 
bringing with them tempering airs from the dis- 
tant mountains. To the prevalence of these 
breezes, and to the want of all leafy covert, may 
we also attribute the freedom from those flies 
and other insects so tormenting to man and beast 
during the summer months, in the lower plains, 
which are bordered and interspersed with wood- 
land. 

The monotony of these immense landscapes, 
also, would be as wearisome as that of the ocean, 
were it not relieved in some degree by the purity 
and elasticity of the atmosphere, and the beauty 
of the heavens. The sky has that delicious blue 
for which the sky of Italy is renowned ; the sun 
shines with a splendor unobscured by any cloud 



266 ASTORIA. 

or vapor, and a starlight night on the prairies is 
glorious. This purity and elasticity of atmos- 
phere increases as the traveller approaches the 
mountains and gradually rises into more elevated 
prairies. 

On the second day of the journey, Mr. Hunt 
arranged the party into small and convenient 
messes, distributing among them the camp kettles. 
The encampments at night were as before ; some 
sleeping under tents, and others bivouacking in 
the open air. The Canadians proved as patient 
of toil and hardship on the land as on the water ; 
indeed, nothing could surpass the patience and 
good-humor of these men upon the march. They 
were the cheerful drudges of the party, loading 
and unloading the horses, pitching the tents, mak- 
ing the fires, cooking ; in short, performing all 
those household and menial offices which the In- 
dians usually assign to the squaws ; and, like the 
squaws, they left all the hunting and fighting to 
others. A Canadian has but little affection for 
the exercise of the rifle. 

The progress of the party was but slow for the 
fii'st few days. Some of the men were indisposed ; 
Mr. Crooks, especially, was so unwell that he could 
not keep on his horse. A rude kind of litter was, 
therefore, prepared for him, consisting of two long 
poles, fixed, one on each side of two horses, with 
a matting between them, on which he reclined at 
full length, and was protected from the sun by a 
canopy of boughs. 

On the evening of the 23d (July) they en- 
camped on the banks of what they term Big 



NAMES OF WESTERN LANDMARKS. 267 

River ; and here we cannot but pause to lament 
the stupid, commoni^lace, and often ribald names 
entailed upon the rivers and other features of the 
great West, by traders and settlers. As the ab- 
original tribes of these magnificent regions are yet 
in existence, the Indian names might easily be re- 
covered ; which, beside being in general more so- 
norous and musical, would remain mementoes of 
the primitive lords of the soil, of whom in a little 
while scarce any traces will be left. Indeed, it is 
to be wished that the whole of our country could 
be rescued, as much as possible, from the wretched 
nomenclature inflicted upon it, by ignorant and 
vulgar minds ; and this might be done, in a great 
degree, by restoring the Indian names, wherever 
significant and euphonious. As there appears to 
be a spirit of research abroad in respect to our 
aboriginal antiquities, we would suggest, as a 
worthy object of enterprise, a map, or maps, of 
every part of our country, giving the Indian 
names wherever they could be ascertained. Who- 
ever achieves such an object worthily, will leave 
a monument to his own reputation. 

To return from this digression. As the travel- 
lers were now in a country abounding with buf- 
falo, they remained for several days encamped 
upon the banks of Big River, to obtain a supply 
of provisions, and to. give the invalids time to re- 
cruit. 

On the second day of their sojourn, as Ben 
Jones, John Day, and others of the hunters were 
in pursuit of game, they came upon an Indian 
camp on the open prairie, near to a small stream 



268 ASTORIA. 

which ran through a ravine. The tents or lodges 
were of dressed buffalo skins, sewn together and 
stretched on tapering pine poles, joined at top, 
but radiating at bottom, so as to form a circle capa- 
ble of admitting fifty persons. Numbers of horses 
were grazing in the neighborhood of the camp, or 
straying at large in the prairie ; a sight most ac- 
ceptable to the hunters. After reconnoitring the 
camp for some time, they ascertained it to belong 
to a band of Cheyenne Indians, the same that had 
sent a deputation to the Arickaras. They received 
the hunters in the most friendly manner ; invited 
them to their lodges, which were more cleanly 
than Indian lodges are prone to be, and set food 
before them with true uncivilized hosj^itality. 
Several of them accompanied the hunters back to 
the camp, when a trade was immediately opened. 
The Cheyennes were astonished and delighted to 
find a convoy of goods and trinkets thus brought 
into the very heart of the prairie ; while Mr. 
Hunt and his companions were overjoyed to have 
an opportunity of obtaining a further supply of 
horses from these equestrian savages. 

During a fortnight that the travellers lingered 
at tliis place, their encampment was continually 
thronged by the Cheyennes. They were a civil, 
well-behaved people, cleanly in their persons and 
decorous in their habits. The men were taU, 
straight and vigorous, with aquiline noses, and 
high cheek bones. Some were almost as naked 
as ancient statues, and might have stood as models 
for a statuary ; others had leggins and moccasins 
of deer skin, and buffalo robes, which they threw 



SKILL OF CHEYENNE HORSEMEN. 269 

gracefiilly over their shoulders. In a little while, 
however, they began to appear in more gorgeous 
array, tricked out in the finery obtained from the 
white men ; bright cloths, brass rings, beads of 
various colors ; and happy was he who could render 
himself hideous with vermilion. 

The travellers had frequent occasion to admne 
the skill and grace with which these Indians man- 
aged their horses. Some of them made a striking 
display when mounted ; themselves and their steeds 
decorated in gala style ; for the Indians often be- 
stow more finery upon their horses than upon 
themselves. Some would hang around the necks, 
or rather on the breasts of their horses, the most 
precious ornaments they had obtained fi'om the 
white men ; others interwove feathers in their 
manes and tails. The Indian horses, too, appear 
to have an attachment to their wild riders, and 
indeed it is said that the horses of the prairies 
readily distinguish an Indian from a white man 
by the smell, and give a preference to the former. 
Yet the Indians, in general, are hard riders, and, 
however they may value their horses, treat them 
with great roughness and neglect. Occasionally 
the Cheyennes joined the white hunters in pursuit 
of the elk and buffalo ; and when in the ardor of 
the chase, spared neither themselves nor their 
steeds, scouring the prairies at full speed, and 
plunging down precipices and frightful ravines 
that threatened the necks of both horse and horse- 
man. The Indian steed, well trained to the chase, 
seems as mad as his rider, and pursues the game 
as eagerly as if it were his natural prey, on the 
flesh of which he was to banquet. 



270 ASTORIA. 

The history of the Cheyennes is that of many 
of those wandering tribes of the prairies. They 
were the remnant of a once powerful people called 
the Shaways, inhabiting a branch of the Red 
River which flows into Lake Winnipeg. Every 
Indian tribe has some rival tribe with which it 
wages implacable hostility. The deadly enemies 
of the Shaways were the Sioux, who, after a long 
course of warfare, proved too powerful for them, 
and drove them across the Missouri. They again 
took root near the Warricanne Creek, and estab- 
lished themselves there in a fortified village. 

The Sioux still followed them with deadly an- 
imosity ; dislodged them from their village, and 
compelled them to take refuge in the Black Hills, 
near the upper waters of the Sheyenne or Chey- 
enne River. Here they lost even their name, 
and became known among the French colonists 
by that of the river they frequented. 

The heart of the tribe was now broken ; its 
numbers were greatly thinned by their harassing 
wars. They no longer attempted to establish 
themselves in any permanent abode that might 
be an object of attack to their cruel foes. They 
gave up the cultivation of the fruits of the earth, 
and became a wandering tribe, subsisting by the 
chase, and following the buffalo in its migrations. 

Their only possessions were horses, which they 
caught on the prairies, or reared, or captured on 
predatory incursions into the Mexican territories, 
as has already been mentioned. With some of 
these they repaired once a year to the Arickara 
villages, exchanged them for corn, beans, pumpkins, 



FLUCTUATIONS OF SAVAGE LIFE. 271 

and articles of European merchandise, and then 
returned into the heart of the prairies. 

Such are the fluctuating fortunes of these sav- 
age nations. War, famine, pestilence, together or 
singly, bring down their strength and thin their 
numbers. Whole tribes are rooted up from their 
native places, wander for a time about these im- 
mense regions, become amalgamated with other 
tribes, or disappear from the face of the earth. 
There appears to be a tendency to extinction 
among all the savage nations ; and this tendency 
would seem to have been in operation among the 
aboriginals of this country long before the advent 
of the white men, if we may judge from the traces 
and traditions of ancient populousness in regions 
which were silent and deserted at the time of the 
discovery ; and from the mysterious and perplexing 
vestiges of unknown races, predecessors of those 
found in actual possession, and who must long 
since have become gradually extinguished or been 
destroyed. The whole history of the aboriginal 
population of this country, however, is an enigma, 
and a grand one — will it ever be solved ? 





CHAPTER XXIV. 

N the sixth of August the travellers bade 
farewell to the friendly band of Chey- 
ennes, and resumed their journey. As 
they had obtained thirty- six additional horses by 
their recent traffic, Mr. Hunt made a new ar- 
rangement. The baggage was made up in 
smaller loads. A horse was allotted to each of 
the six prime hunters, and others were distrib- 
uted among the voyageurs, a horse for every two, 
so that they could ride and walk alternately. 
Mr. Crooks being still too feeble to mount the 
saddle, was carried on a litter. 

Their march this day lay among singular hills 
and knolls of an indurated red earth, resembling 
brick, about the bases of which were scattered 
pumice stones and cinders, the whole bearing 
traces of the action of fire. In the evening they 
encamped on a branch of Big River. 

They were now out of the tract of country 
infested by the Sioux, and had advanced such a 
distance into the interior that Mr. Hunt no longer 
felt apprehensive of the desertion of any of 
his men. He was doomed, however, to experi- 
ence new cause of anxiety. As he was seated 
in his tent after nightfall, one of the men came 
to him privately, and informed him that there 



TREACHERY IN THE CAMP. 273 

was mischief brewing in the camp. Edward 
Rose, the interpreter, whose sinister looks we 
have already mentioned, was denounced by this 
secret informer as a designing, treacherous scoun- 
drel, who was tampering with the fidelity of 
certain of the men, and instigating them to a 
flagrant piece of treason. In the course of a few 
days they would arrive at the mountainous dis- 
trict infested by the Upsarokas or Crows, the 
tribe among which Rose was to officiate as inter- 
preter. His plan was that several of the men 
should join with him, when in that neighborhood, 
in carrying off a number of the horses with their 
packages of goods, and deserting to those sav- 
ages. He assured them of good treatment among 
the Crows, the principal chiefs and warriors of 
whom he knew ; they would soon become great 
men among them, and have the finest women, 
and the daughters of the chiefs for wives ; and 
the horses and goods they carried off would make 
them rich for life. 

The intelligence of this treachery on the part 
of Rose gave much disquiet to Mr. Hunt, for he 
knew not how far it might be effective among 
his men. He had already had proofs that sev- 
eral of them were disaffected to the enterprise, 
and loath to cross the mountains. He knew also 
that savage life had charms for many of them, 
especially the Canadians, who were prone to 
intermarry and domesticate themselves among 
the Indians. 

And here a word or two concerning the Crows 
18 



274 ASTORIA. 

may be of service to the reader, as they will 
figure occasionally in the succeeding narration. 

The tribe consists of four bands, which have 
their nestling-places in fertile, well-wooded val- 
leys, lying among the Rocky Mountains, and 
watered by the Big Horse River and its tributary 
streams ; but, though these are properly their 
homes, where they shelter their old people, their 
wives, and their children, the men of the tribe 
are almost continually on the foray and the 
scamper. They are, in fact, notorious marauders 
and horse-stealers ; crossing and recrossing the 
mountains, robbing on the one side, and convey- 
ing their spoils to the other. Hence, we are 
told, is derived their name, given to them on ac- 
count of their unsettled and predatory habits ; 
winging their flight, like the crows, from one side 
of the mountains to the other, and making free 
booty of every thing that lies in their way. 
HorseS; however, are the especial objects of their 
depredations, and their skill and audacity in steal- 
ing them are said to be astonishing. This is 
their glory and delight ; an accomplished horse- 
stealer fills up their idea of a hero. Many horses 
are obtained by them, also, in barter from tribes 
in and beyond the mountains. They have an ab- 
solute passion for this noble animal ; beside which 
he is with them an important object of traffic. 
Once a year they make a visit to the Mandans, 
Minatarees, and other tribes of the Missouri, tak- 
ing with them droves of horses which they ex- 
change for guns, ammunition, trinkets, vermilion, 
cloths of bright colors, and various other articles 



A DESPERADO OF THE FB ON TIER. 275 

of European manufacture. With these they sup- 
ply their own wants and caprices, and carry on 
the internal trade for horses already mentioned. 

The plot of Rose to rob and abandon his 
countrymen when in the heart of the wilderness, 
and to throw himself into the hands of a horde 
of savages, may appear strange and improbable to 
those unacquainted with the singular and anom- 
alous characters that are to be found about the 
borders. This fellow, it appears, was one of 
those desperadoes of the frontiers, outlawed by 
their crimes, who combine the vices of civilized 
and savage life, and are ten times more barbarous 
than the Indians with whom they consort. Rose 
had formerly belonged to one of the gangs of 
pirates who infested the islands of the Mississippi, 
plundering boats as they went up and down the 
river, and who sometimes shifted the scene of 
their robberies to the shore, waylaying travellers 
as they returned by land from New Orleans with 
the proceeds of their downward voyage, plun- 
dering them of their money and effects, and 
often perpetrating the most atrocious murders. 

These hordes of villains being broken up and 
dispersed. Rose had betaken himself to the wil- 
derness, and associated himself with the Crows, 
whose predatory habits were congenial with his 
own, had married a woman of the tribe, and, in 
short, had identified himself with those vagrant 
savages. 

Such was the worthy guide and interpreter, 
Edward Rose. We give his story, however, not 
as it was known to Mr. Hunt and his companions 



276 ASTORIA. 

at the time, but as it has been subsequently as- 
certained. Enough was known of the fellow and 
his dark and perfidious character to put Mr. 
Hunt upon his guard : still, as there was no 
knowing how far his plans might have succeeded, 
and as any rash act might blow the mere smoul- 
dering sparks of treason into a sudden blaze, it 
was thought advisable by those with whom Mr. 
Hunt consulted, to conceal all knowledge or sus- 
picion of the meditated treachery, but to keep up 
a vigilant watch upon the movements of Rose, 
and a strict guard upon the horses at night. 





CHAPTER XXV. 

I HE plains over which the travellers were 
journeying continued to be destitute of 
trees or even shrubs ; insomuch that 
they had to use the dung of the buffalo for fuel, 
as the Arabs of the desert use that of the camel. 
This substitute for fuel is universal among the 
Indians of these upper prairies, and is said to 
make a fire equal to that of turf If a few 
chips are added, it throws out a cheerful and 
kindly blaze. 

These plains, however, had not always been 
equally destitute of wood, as was evident from 
the trunks of the trees which the travellers re- 
peatedly met with, some still standing, others 
lying about in broken fragments, but all in a 
fossil state, having flourished in times long past. 
In these singular remains, the original grain of 
the wood was still so distinct that they could be 
ascertained to be the ruins of oak trees. Several 
pieces of the fossil wood were selected by the 
men to serve as whetstones. 

In this part of the journey there was no lack 
of provieAons, for the prairies were covered with 
immense herds of buffalo. These, in general, 
are animals of peaceful demeanor, grazing quietly 
like domestic cattle ; but this was the season 



278 ASTORIA. 

when they are in heat, and when the bulls are 
usually fierce and pugnacious. There was ac- 
cordingly a universal restlessness and commotion 
throughout the plain ; and the amorous herds 
gave utterance to their feelings in low bellowings 
that resounded like distant thunder. Here and 
there fierce duellos took place between rival 
enamorados ; butting their huge shagged fronts 
together, goring each other with their short black 
horns, and tearing up the earth with their feet in 
perfect fury. 

In one of the evening halts, Pierre Dorion, the 
interpreter, together with Carson and Gardpie, 
two of the hunters, were missing, nor had they 
returned by morning. As it was supposed they 
had wandered away in pursuit of buffalo, and 
would readily find the track of the party, no 
solicitude was felt on their account. A fire was 
left burning, to guide them by its column of 
smoke, and the travellers proceeded on their 
march. In the evening a signal fire was made 
on a hill adjacent to the camp, and in the morning 
it was replenished with fuel so as to last through- 
out the day. These signals are usual among the 
Indians, to give warnings to each other, or to call 
home straggling hunters ; and such is the trans- 
parency of the atmosphere in those elevated 
plains, that a slight column of smoke can be dis- 
cerned from a great distance, particularly in the 
evenings. Two or three days elapsed, however, 
without the reappearance of the three hunters ; 
and Mr. Hunt slackened his march to give them 
time to overtake him. 



THE LOST HUNTERS. 279 

A vigilant watch * continued to be kept upon 
the movements of Rose, and of such of the men 
as were considered doubtful in their loyalty ; but 
nothing occurred to excite immediate apprehen- 
sions. Rose evidently was not a favorite among 
his comrades, and it was hoped that he had not 
been able to make any real partisans. 

On the 10th of August they encamped among 
hills, on the highest peak of which Mr. Hunt 
caused a huge pyre of pine wood to be made, 
which soon sent up a great column of flame that 
might be seen far and wide over the prairies. 
This fire blazed all night, and was amply replen- 
ished at daybreak ; so that the towering pillar of 
smoke could not but be descried by the wanderers 
if within the distance of a day's journey. 

It is a common occurrence in these regions, 
where the features of the country so much resem- 
ble each other, for hunters to lose themselves and 
wander for many days, before they can find their 
way back to the main body of their party. In 
the present instance, however, a more than com- 
mon solicitude was felt, in consequence of the 
distrust awakened by the sinister designs of Rose. 

The route now became excessively toilsome, 
over a ridge of steep rocky hills, covered with 
loose stones. These were intersected by deep 
valleys, formed by two branches of Big River, 
coming from the south of west, both of which 
they crossed. These streams were bordered by 
meadows, well stocked with buffiiloes. Loads of 
meat were brought in by the hunters ; but the 
travellers were rendered dainty by profusion, and 
would cook only the choice pieces. 



280 ASTORIA. 

They had now travelled for several days at a 
very slow rate, and had made signal-fires and left 
traces of their route at every stage, yet nothing 
was heard or seen of the lost men. It began to 
be feared that they might have fallen into the 
hands of some lurking band of savages. A party 
numerous as that of Mr. Hunt, with a long train 
of pack-horses, moving across open plains or 
naked hills, is discoverable at a great distance by 
Indian scouts, who spread the intelligence rapidly 
to various points, and assemble their friends^ to 
hang about the skirts of the travellers, steal their 
horses, or cut off any stragglers from the main 
body. 

Mr. Hunt and his companions were more and 
more sensible how much it would be in the power 
of this sullen and daring vagabond Rose, to do 
them mischief, when they should become en- 
tangled in the defiles of the mountains, with the 
passes of which they were wholly unacquainted, 
and which were infested by his freebooting 
friends, the Crows. There, should he succeed 
in seducing some of the party into his plans, he 
might carry off the best horses and effects, throw 
himself among his savage allies, and set all pur- 
suit at defiance. Mr. Hunt resolved, therefore, 
to frustrate the knave, divert him, by manage- 
ment, from his plans, and make it sufficiently 
advantageous for him to remain honest. He took 
occasion, accordingly, in the course of conversa- 
tion, to inform Rose that, having engaged him 
chiefly as a guide and interpreter through the 
country of the Crows, they would not stand in 



A BRIBE TO BE HONEST. 281 

need of his services beyond. Knowing, there- 
fore, his connection by marriage with that tribe, 
and his predilection for a residence among them, 
they would put no restraint upon his will, but, 
whenever they met with a party of that people, 
would leave him at liberty to remain among his 
adopted brethren. Furthermore, that, in thus 
parting with him, they would pay him half a 
year's wages in consideration of his past services, 
and would give him a horse, three beaver traps, 
and sundry other articles calculated to set him up 
in the world. 

This unexpected liberality, which made it 
nearly as profitable and infinitely less hazard- 
ous for Rose to remain honest than to play the 
rogue, completely disarmed him. From that 
time his whole deportment underwent a change. 
His brow cleared up and appeared more cheer- 
ful ; he left off his sullen, skulking habits, and 
made no further attempts to tamper with the 
faith of his comrades. 

On the 13th of August Mr. Hunt varied his 
course, and inclined westward, in hopes of falling 
in with the three lost hunters ; who, it was now 
thought, might have kept to the right hand of 
Big River. This course soon brought him to a 
fork of the Little Missouri, about a hundred 
yards wide, and resembling the great river of the 
same name in the strength of its current, its tur- 
bid water, and the frequency of drift-wood and 
sunken trees. 

Rugged mountains appeared ahead, crowding 
down to the water edge, and offering a barrier 



282 ASTORIA. 

to further progress on the side they were ascend- 
ing. Crossing the river, therefore, they encamped 
on its northwest bank, where they found good pas- 
turage and buffalo in abundance. The weather 
was overcast and rainy, and a general gloom per- 
vaded the camp ; the voyageurs sat smoking in 
groups, with their shoulders as high as their heads, 
croaking their foreboding, when suddenly towards 
evening a shout of joy gave notice that the lost 
men were found. They came slowly lagging 
into the camp, with weary looks, and horses 
jaded and wayworn. They had, in fact, been 
for several days incessantly on the move. In 
their hunting excursion on the prairies they had 
pushed so far in pursuit of buffalo, as to find it 
impossible to retrace their steps over plains 
trampled by innumerable herds ; and were baf- 
fled by the monotony of the landscape in their 
attempts to recall landmarks. They had ridden 
to and fro until they had almost lost the points of 
the compass, and become totally bewildered ; nor 
did they ever perceive any of the signal fires and 
columns of smoke made by their comrades. At 
length, about two days previously, when almost 
spent by anxiety and hard riding, they came, to 
their great joy, upon the " trail " of the party, 
which they had since followed up steadily. 

Those only, who have experienced the warm 
cordiality that grows up between comrades in 
wild and adventurous expeditions of the kind, 
can picture to themselves the hearty cheering 
with which the stragglers were welcomed to the 
camp. Every one crowded round them to ask 



REJOICINGS IN PIERRE'S FAMILY. 283 

questions, and to hear the story of their mishaps ; 
and even the squaw of the moody half-breed, 
Pierre Dorion, forgot the sternness of his do- 
mestic rule, and the conjugal discipline of the 
cudgel, in her joy at his safe return. 




CHAPTER XXVI. 




R. HUNT and his party were now on 
the skirts of the Black Hills, or Black 
Mountains, as they are sometimes called ; 
an extensive chain, lying about a hundred miles 
east of the Rocky Mountains, and stretching in a 
northeast direction from the south fork of the 
Nebraska, or Platte River, to the great north 
bend of the Missouri. The Sierra or ridge of 
the Black Hills, in foct, forms the dividing line 
between the waters of the INIissouri and those of 
the Arkansas and the Mississippi, and gives rise 
to the Cheyenne, the Little Missouri, and several 
tributary streams of the Yellowstone. 

The wild recesse,s of these hills, like those of 
the Rocky Mountains, are retreats and lurking- 
places for broken and predatory tribes, and it 
was among them that the remnant of the 
Cheyenne tribe took refuge, as has been stated, 
from their conquering enemies, the Sioux. 

The Black Hills are cliiefly composed of sand- 
stone, and in many places are broken into savage 
cliffs and precipices, and present the most singular 
and fantastic forms ; sometimes resembling towns 
and castellated fortresses. The ignorant inhabi- 
tants of plains are prone to clothe the mountains 
that bound their horizon with fanciful and super- 



SINGULAR MOUNTAIN PHENOMENON. 285 

stitious attributes. Thus the wandering tribes 
of the prairies, who often behold clouds gathering 
round the summits of these hills, and lightning 
flashing, and thunder pealing from them, when 
all the neighboring plains are serene and sunnj, 
consider them the abode of the genii or thunder- 
spirits who fabricate storms and tempests. On 
entering their defiles, therefore, they often hang 
offerings on the trees, or place them on the rocks, 
to propitiate the invisible "lords of the moun- 
tains," and procure good weather and successftd 
hunting ; and they attach unusual significance to 
the echoes which haunt the precipices. This 
superstition may also have arisen, in part, from a 
natural phenomenon of a singular nature. In 
the most calm and serene weather, and at all 
times of the day or night, successive reports are 
now and then heard among these mountains, 
resembling the discharge of several pieces of 
artillery. Similar reports were heard by Messrs. 
Lewis and Clarke in the Rocky Mountains, which 
they say were attributed by the Indians to the 
bursting of the rich mines of silver contained in 
the bosom of the mountains. 

In fact, these singular explosions have received 
fanciful explanations from learned men, and have 
not been satisfactorily accounted for even by 
philosophers. They are said to occur frequently 
in Brazil. Vasconcelles, a Jesuit father, describes 
one which he heard in the Sierra, or mountain 
region of Piratininga, and which he compares to 
the discharges of a park of artillery. The 
Indians told hun that it was an explosion of 



286 ASTORIA. 

stones. The worthy father had soon a satisfac- 
tory proof of the truth of their infoiTnation, for 
the very place was found where a rock had burst 
and exploded from its entrails a stony mass, like 
a bomb-shell, and of the size of a bull's heart. 
This mass was broken either in its ejection or its 
fall, and wonderftil was the internal organization 
revealed. It had a shell harder even than iron ; 
within which were arranged, like the seeds of a 
pomegranate, jewels of various colors ; some trans- 
parent as crystal ; others of a fine red, and others 
of mixed hues. The same phenomenon is said 
to occur occasionally in the adjacent province of 
Guayra, where stones of the bigness of a man's 
hand are exploded, with a loud noise, from the 
bosom of the earth, and scatter about glittering 
and beautiful fragments that look like precious 
gems, but are of no value. 

The Indians of the OreUanna, also, tell of 
horrible noises heard occasionally in the Para- 
guaxo, which they consider the throes and groans 
of the mountain, endeavoring to cast forth the 
precious stones liidden within its entrails. Others 
have endeavored to account for these discharges 
of " mountain artillery " on humbler principles ; 
attributing them to the loud reports made by the 
disruption and fall of great masses of rock, 
reverberated and prolonged by the echoes ; others, 
to the disengagement of hydrogen, produced by 
subterraneous beds of coal in a state of ignition. 
In whatever way this singular phenomenon may 
may be accounted for, the existence of it appears 
to be well estabhshed. It remains one of the 



TBE BIGHORN. 287 

Imgering mysteries of nature which throw some- 
tliing of a supernatural charm over her wild 
mountain solitudes; and we doubt whether the 
imaginative reader will not rather join with the 
poor Indian in attributing it to the thunder- 
spirits, or the guardian genii of unseen treasure?, 
than to any commonplace physical cause. 

Whatever might be the supernatural influences 
among these mountains, the travellers found their 
physical difficulties hard to cope with. They 
made repeated attempts to find a passage through 
or over the chain, but were as often turned 
back by impassable barriers. Sometimes a defile 
seemed to open a practicable path, but it would 
terminate in some wild chaos of rocks and clifi^s, 
which it was impossible to climb. The animals 
of these solitary regions were diflferent from 
those they had been accustomed to. The black- 
tailed deer would bound up the ravines on their 
approach, and the bighorn would gaze fearlessly 
down upon them from some impending precipice, 
or skip playfully from rock to rock. These 
animals are only to be met with in mountainous 
reodons. The former is larger than the common 
deer, but its flesh is not equally esteemed by 
hunters. It has very large ears, and the tip of 
the tail is black, from which it derives its name. 

The bighorn is so named from its horns ; 
which are of a great size, and twisted like those 
of a ram. It is called by some the argali, by 
others the ibex, thouo;h differinoj from both of 
these animals. The Mandans call it the ahsahta, 
a name much better than the clumsy appellation 



288 ASTORIA. 

which it generally bears. It is of the size of a 
small elk, or large deer, and of a dun color, 
excepting the belly and round the tail, where it 
is white. In its habits it resembles the goat, 
frequenting the rudest precipices ; cropping the 
herbage from their edges ; and like the chamois, 
bounding lightly and securely among dizzy 
heights, where the hunter dares not venture. It 
is difficult, therefore, to get within shot of it. 
Ben Jones the hunter, however, in one of the 
passes of the Black Hills, succeeded in bringing 
down a bighorn from the verge of a precipice, 
the flesh of which was pronounced by the gor- 
mands of the camp to have the flavor of excellent 
mutton. 

Baffled in his attempts to traverse this moun- 
tain chain, Mr. Hunt skirted along it to the 
southwest, keeping it on the right; and still in 
hopes of finding an opening. At an early hour 
one day, he encamped in a narrow valley on the 
banks of a beautifully clear but rushy pool ; sur- 
rounded by thickets bearing abundance of wild 
cherries, currants, and yellow and purple goose- 
berries. 

While the afternoon's meal was in preparation, 
Mr. Hunt and Mr. M'Kenzie ascended to the 
summit of the nearest hiU, from whence, aided 
by the purity and transparency of the evening 
atmosphere, they commanded a vast prospect on 
all sides. Below them extended a plain, dotted 
with innumerable herds of buffalo. Some were 
lying down among the herbage, others roaming 
in their unbounded pastures, while many were 



THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 289 

engaged in fierce contests like those already 
described, their low bellowings reaching the ear 
like the hoarse murmurs of the surf on a distant 
shore. 

Far off in the west they descried a range of 
lofty mountains printing the clear horizon, some 
of them evidently capped with snow. These 
they supposed to be the Big horn Mountains, so 
called from the animal of that name, with which 
they abound. They are a spur of the great 
Rocky chain. The hill from whence Mr. Hunt 
had this prospect was, according to his computa- 
tion, about two hundred and fifty miles from the 
Arickara village. 

On returning to the camp, Mr. Hunt found 
some uneasiness prevailing among the Canadian 
voyageurs. In straying among the thickets they 
had beheld tracks of grizzly bears in every di- 
rection, doubtless attracted thither by the fruit. 
To their dismay, they now found that they had 
encamped in one of the favorite resorts of this 
dreaded animal. The idea marred all the com- 
fort of the encampment. As night closed, the 
surrounding thickets were peopled with terrors ; 
insomuch that, according to Mr. Hunt, they could 
not help starting at every little breeze that stirred 
the bushes. 

The grizzly bear is the only really formidable 
quadruped of our continent. He is the favorite 
theme of the hunters of the far West, who de- 
scribe him as equal in size to a common cow and 
of prodigious strength. He makes battle if as- 
sailed, and often, if pressed by hunger, is the 
19 



290 ASTORIA. 

assailant. If wounded, he becomes furious and 
will pursue the hunter. His speed exceeds that 
of a man but is inferior to that of a horse. In 
attacking he rears himself on his hind legs, and 
springs the length of his body. Woe to horse 
or rider that comes within the sweep of his terrific 
claws, which are sometimes nine inches in length, 
and tear everything before them. 

At the time we are treating of, the grizzly 
bear was still frequent on the Missouri and in 
the lower country, but, like some of the broken 
tribes of the prairie, he has gradually fallen back 
before his enemies, and is now chiefly to be found 
in the upland regions, in rugged fastnessess like 
those of the Black Hills and the Rocky Moun- 
tains. Here he lurks in caverns, or holes which 
he has digged in the sides of hills, or under the 
roots and trunks of fallen trees. Like the com- 
mon bear, he is fond of fruits, and mast, and 
roots, the latter of which he will dig up with 
his fore claws. He is carnivorous also, and 
will even attack and conquer the lordly buffalo, 
dragging his huge carcass to the neighborhood 
of his den, that he may prey upon it at his 
leisure. 

The hunters, both white and red men, consider 
this the most heroic game. They prefer to hunt 
him on horseback, and will venture so near as 
sometimes to singe his hair with the flash of the 
rifle. The hunter of the grizzly bear, however, 
must be an experienced hand, and know where 
to aim at a vital part ; for of all quadrupeds, he 
is the most difficult to be killed. He will re- 



ADVENTURE OF WILLIAM CANNON. 291 

ceive repeated wounds without flinching, and 
rarely is a shot mortal unless through the head 
or heart. 

That the dangers apprehended from the grizzly 
bear, at this night encampment, were not imag- 
inary, was proved on the following morning. 
Among the hired men of the party was one 
William Cannon, who had been a soldier at one 
of the frontier posts, and entered into the em- 
ploy of Mr. Hunt at Mackinaw. He was an 
inexperienced hunter and a poor shot, for which 
he was much bantered by his more adroit com- 
rades. Piqued at their raillery, he had been 
practicing ever since he had joined the expedi- 
tion, but without success. In the course of the 
present afternoon, he went forth by himself to 
take a lesson in venerie, and, to his great delight, 
had the good fortune to kill a bufftilo. As he 
was a considerable distance from the camp, he cut 
out the tongue and some of the choice bits, made 
them into a parcel, and slinging them on his 
shoulders by a strap passed round his forehead, 
as the voyageurs carry packages of goods, set 
out all glorious for the camp, anticipating a tri- 
umph over his brother hunters. In passing 
through a narrow ravine, he heard a noise be- 
hind him, and looking round beheld, to his dis- 
may, a grizzly bear in full pursuit, apparently 
attracted by the scent of the meat. Cannon had 
heard so much of the invulnerability of this tre- 
mendous animal, that he never attempted to fire, 
but, slipping the strap from his forehead, let go 
the buffalo meat and ran for his life. The bear 



292 ASTORIA. 

did not stoi3 to regale himself with the game, but 
kept on after the hunter. He had nearly over- 
taken him when Cannon reached a tree, and, 
throwing down his rifle, scrambled up it. The 
next instant Bruin was at the foot of the tree ; 
but, as this species of bear does not climb, he 
contented himself with turning the chase into a 
blockade. Night came on. In the darkness 
Cannon could not perceive whether or not the 
enemy maintained liis station ; but his fears pic- 
tured him rigorously mounting guard. He j^assed 
the night, therefore, in the tree, a prey to dismal 
fancies. In the morning the bear was gone. 
Cannon warily descended the tree, gathered up 
his gun, and made the best of his way back to 
the camp, without venturing to look after his 
buffalo meat. 

While on this theme we will add another an- 
ecdote of an adventure with a grizzly bear, told of 
John Day, the Kentucky hunter, but which hap- 
pened at a different period of the expedition. Day 
was hunting in company with one of the clerks of 
the company, a lively youngster, who was a great 
favorite with the veteran, but whose vivacity he 
had continually to keep in check. They were in 
search of deer, when suddenly a huge grizzly 
bear emerged from a thicket about thirty yards 
distant, rearing himself upon his hind legs with 
a terrific growl, and displaying a hideous array 
of teeth and claws. The rifle of the young man 
was leveled in an instant, but Jolm Day's iron 
hand was as quickly upon his arm. " Be quiet, 
boy ! be quiet ! " exclaimed the hunter between 



BULLIED BY A GRIZZLY. 293 

his clenched teeth, and without turning his eyes 
from the bear. They remained motionless. The 
monster regarded them for a time, then, lowering 
himself on his fore paws, slowly withdrew. He 
had not gone many paces before he again re- 
turned, reared himself on his hind legs, and 
repeated his menace. Day's hand was still on 
the arm of his young companion ; he again 
pressed it hard, and kept repeating between his 
teeth, " Quiet, boy ! — keep quiet! — keep quiet! " 
— though the latter had not made a move since 
his first prohibition. The bear again lowered 
himself on all fours, retreated some twenty 
yards further, and again turned, reared, showed 
his teeth, and growled. This third menace was 
too much for the game spirit of John Day. " By 
Jove ! " exclaimed he, " I can stand this no 
longer," and in an instant a ball from his rifle 
whizzed into the foe. The wound was not 
mortal; but, luckily, it dismayed instead of 
enragino: the animal, and he retreated into the 
thicket. 

Day's young companion reproached him for 
not practicing the caution which he enjoined 
upon others. " 'Wliy, boy," replied the veteran, 
"caution is caution, but one must not put up 
with too much, even from a bear. Would you 
have me suffer myself to be bulUed all day by a 
varmint ? " 




CHAPTER XXVIT. 

|0R the two following days, the travellers 
pursued a westerly course for thirty-four 
miles along a ridge of country dividing 
the tributary waters of the Missouri and the 
Yellowstone. As landmarks they guided them- 
selves by the summits of the far distant moun- 
tains, which they supposed to belong to the Big- 
horn chain. They were gradually rising into 
a higher temperature, for the weather was cold 
for the season, with a sharp frost in the night, 
and ice of an eighth of an inch in thickness. 

On the twenty-second of August, early in the 
day, they came upon the trail of a numerous 
band. Rose and the other hunters examined 
the foot-prints with great attention, and deter- 
mined it to be the trail of a party of Crows, re- 
turning from an annual trading visit to the Man- 
dans. As this trail afforded more commodious 
travelling, they immediately struck into it, and 
followed it for two days. It led them over 
rough hills, and through broken gullies, during 
which time they suffered great ftitigue from the 
ruggedness of the country. The weather, too, 
which had recently been frosty, was now op- 
pressively warm, and there was a great scarcity 
of water, insomuch that a valuable dog belonging 
to Mr. M'Kenzie died of thirst. 



A HUNTERS PARADISE. 295 

At one time they had twenty-five miles of 
painful travel, without a drop of water, until 
they arrived at a small running stream. Here 
they eagerly slaked their thirst ; but, this being 
allayed, the calls of hunger became equally im- 
portunate. Ever since they had got among 
these barren and arid hills, where there was a 
deficiency of grass, they had met with no buffa- 
loes ; those animals keeping in the grassy mead- 
ows near the streams. They were obliged, there- 
fore, to have recourse to their corn meal, which 
they reserved for such emergencies. Some, 
however, were lucky enough to kill a wolf, which 
they cooked for supper, and pronounced excellent 
food. 

The next morning they resumed their wayfar- 
ing, hungry and jaded, and had a dogged march 
of eighteen miles among the same kind of hills. 
At length they emerged upon a stream of clear 
water, one of the forks of Powder River, and to 
their great joy beheld once more wide grassy 
meadows, stocked with herds of buffalo. For 
several days they kept along the banks of the 
river, ascendinoj it about eighteen miles. It was 
a hunter's paradise ; the buffaloes were in such 
abundance that they were enabled to kill as 
many as they pleased, and to jerk a sufficient 
supply of meat for several day's journeying. 
Here, then, they reveled and reposed after their 
hungry and weary travel, hunting and feasting, 
and reclining upon the grass. Their quiet, how- 
ever, was a little marred by coming upon traces 
of Indians, who, they concluded, must be Crows ; 



296 ASTORIA. 

they were therefore obliged to keep a more vigi- 
lant watch than ever upon their horses. For 
several days they had been directing their march 
towards the lofty mountain descried by Mr. 
Hunt and Mr. M'Kenzie on the 17th of August, 
the height of which rendered it a landmark over 
a vast extent of country. At first it had ap- 
peared to them solitary and detached ; but as 
they advanced towards it, it proved to be the 
principal summit of a chain of mountains. Day 
by day it varied in form, or rather its lower 
peaks, and the summits of others of the chain 
emerged above the clear horizon, and finally the 
inferior line of hills which connected most of 
them rose to view. So far, however, are objects 
discernible in the pure atmosphere of these ele- 
vated plains, that, from the place where they first 
descried the main mountain, they had to travel 
a hundred and fifty miles before they reached its 
base. Here they encamped on the 30th of 
August, having come nearly four hundred miles 
since leaving the Arickara village. 

The mountain which now towered above them 
was one of the Bighorn chain, bordered by a 
river, of the same name, and extending for a long 
distance rather east of north and west of south. 
It was a part of the great system of granite 
mountains which forms one of the most impor- 
tant and striking features of North America, 
stretching parallel to the coast of the Pacific 
from the Isthmus of Panama almost to the Arc- 
tic Ocean ; and presenting a corresponding 
chain to that of the Andes in the southern hemi- 



PEAKS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 297 

sphere. This vast range has acquired, from its 
rugged and broken character and its summits of 
naked granite, the appellation of the Rocky- 
Mountains, a name by no means distinctive, as 
all elevated ranges are rocky. Among the early- 
explorers it was known as the range of Chippew- 
yan Mountains, and this Indian name is the one 
it is likely to retain in poetic usage. Rising from 
the midst of vast plains and prairies, traversing 
several degrees of latitude, dividing the waters 
of the Atlantic and the Pacific, and seeming to 
bind with diverging ridges the level regions on 
its flanks, it has been figuratively termed the 
backbone of the northern continent. 

The Rocky Mountains do not present a range 
of uniform elevation, but rather groups and oc- 
casionally detached peaks. Though some of 
these rise to the region of perpetual snows, and 
are upwards of eleven thousand feet in real alti- 
tude, yet their height from their immediate basis 
is not so great as might be imagined, as they 
swell up from elevated plains, several thousand 
feet above the level of the ocean. These plains 
are often of a desolate sterility ; mere sandy 
wastes, formed of the detritus of the granite 
heights, destitute of trees and herbage, scorched 
by the ardent and reflected rays of the summer's 
sun, and in winter swept by chilling blasts from 
the snow-clad mountains. Such is a great part 
of that vast region extending north and south 
along the mountains, several hundred miles in 
width, which has not improperly been termed the 
Great American Desert. It is a region that 



298 ASTORIA. 

almost discourages all hope of cultivation, and 
can only be traversed with safety by keeping 
near the streams which intersect it. Extensive 
plains likewise occur among the higher regions 
of the mountains, of considerable fertility. In- 
deed, these lofty plats of table-land seem to form 
a peculiar feature in the American continents. 
Some occur among the Cordilleras of the Andes, 
where cities, and towns, and cultivated farms are 
to be seen eight thousand feet above the level of 
the sea. 

The Rocky Mountains, as we have already 
observed, occur sometimes singly or in groups, 
and occasionally in collateral ridges. Between 
these are deep valleys, with small streams wind- 
ing through them, which find their way into the 
lower plains, augmenting as they proceed, and 
ultimately discharging themselves into those vast 
rivers, which traverse the prairies like great ar- 
teries, and drain the continent. 

While the granitic summits of the Rocky 
Mountains are bleak and bare, many of the in- 
ferior ridges are scantily clothed with scrubbed 
pines, oaks, cedar, and furze. Various parts of 
the mountains also bear traces of volcanic action. 
Some of the interior valleys are strewed with 
scoria and broken stones, evidently of volcanic 
origin ; the surrounding rocks bear the like char- 
acter, and vestiges of extinguished craters are to 
be seen on the elevated heights. 

We have already noticed the superstitious 
feelings with which the Indians regard the Black 
Hills ; but this immense range of mountains, 



TOWNS OF THE GENEROUS SPIRITS. 293 

which divides all that they know of the world, 
and gives birth to such mighty rivers, is still 
more an object of awe and veneration. They 
call it " the crest of the world," and think that 
Wacondah, or the master of life, as they desig- 
nate the Supreme Being, has his residence among 
these aerial heights. The tribes on the eastern 
prairies call them the mountains of the setting 
sun. Some of them place the " happy hunting- 
grounds," their ideal paradise, among the recesses 
of these mountains ; but say that they are invis- 
ible to living men. Here also is the " Land of 
Souls," in which are the " towns of the free and 
generous spirits," where those who have pleased 
the master of life while living, enjoy after death 
all manner of delights. 

Wonders are told of these mountains by the 
distant tribes, whose warriors or hunters have ever 
wandered in their neighborhood. It is thought 
by some that, after death, they will have to 
travel to these mountains and ascend one of their 
highest and most rugged peaks, among rocks and 
snows and tumbling torrents. After many 
moons of painful toil they will reach the sum- 
mit, from whence they will have a view over 
the land of souls. There they will see the 
happy hunting-grounds, with the souls of the 
brave and good living in tents in green meadows, 
by bright running streams, or hunting the herds 
of buffalo, and elk, and deer, which have been 
slain on earth. There, too, they will see the 
villages or towns of the free and generous spirits 
brightening in the midst of delicious prairies. 



300 



ASTORIA. 



If they have acquitted themselves well while liv- 
ing, they will be permitted to descend and enjoy 
this happy country; if otherwise they will but 
be tantalized with this prospect of it, and then 
hurled back from the mountain to wander about 
the sandy plains, and endure the eternal pangs 
of unsatisfied thirst and hunger. 





CHAPTER XXVIII. 

I HE travellers had now arrived in the 
vicinity of the mountain regions infes- 
ted by the Crow Indians. These rest- 
less marauders, as has already been observed, 
are apt to be continually on the prowl about the 
skirts of the mountains; and even when en- 
camped in some deep and secluded glen, they 
keep scouts upon the cliffs and promontories, 
who, unseen themselves, can discern every living 
thing that moves over the subjacent plains and 
valleys. It was not to be expected that our 
travellers could pass unseen through a region 
thus vigilantly sentineled; accordingly, in the 
edge of the evening, not long after they had 
encamped at the foot of the Bighorn Sierra, a 
couple of wild-looking beings, scantily clad in 
skins, but well armed, and mounted on horses as 
wild-looking as themselves, were seen approach- 
ing with great caution from among the rocks. 
They might have been mistaken for two of the 
evil spirits of the mountains so formidable in In- 
dian fable. 

Rose was immediately sent out to hold a par- 
ley with them, and invite them to the camp. 
They proved to be two scouts from the same 
band that had been tracked for some days past. 



302 ASTORIA. 

and which was now encamped at some distance 
in the folds of the mountain. They were easily 
prevailed upon to come to the camp, where they 
were well received, and, after remaining there 
until late in the evening, departed to make a re- 
port of all they had seen and experienced to 
their companions. 

The following day had scarce dawned, when 
a troop of these wild mountain scamperers came 
galloping with whoops and yells into the camp, 
bringing an invitation from their chief for the 
white men to visit him. The tents were ac- 
cordingly struck, the horses laden, and the party 
were soon on the march. The Crow horsemen, 
as they escorted them, appeared to take pride in 
showing off their equestrian skill and hardihood ; 
careering at full speed on their half-savage steeds, 
and dashing among rocks and crags, and up and 
down the most rugged and dangerous places with 
perfect ease and unconcern. 

A ride of sixteen miles brought them, in the 
afternoon, in sight of the Crow camp. It was 
composed of leathern tents, pitched in a meadow 
on the border of a small clear stream at the foot 
of the mountain. A great number of horses 
were grazing in the vicinity, many of them 
doubtless captured in marauding excursions. 

The Crow chieftain came forth to meet his 
guests with great professions of friendship, and 
conducted them to his tents, pointing out, by the 
way, a convenient place where they might fix 
their camp. No sooner had they done so, than 
Mr. Hunt opened some of the packages and 



IN THE CROW CAMP. 303 

made the chief a present of a scarlet blanket 
and a quantity of powder and ball ; he gave him 
also some knives, trinkets, and tobacco to be dis- 
tributed among his warriors, with all which the 
grim potentate seemed, for the time, well pleased. 
As the Crows, however, were reputed to be per- 
fidious in the extreme, and as errant freebooters 
as the bird after which they were so worthily 
named ; and as their general feelings towards 
the whites were known to be by no means 
friendly, the intercourse with them was conduc- 
ted with great circumspection. 

Tlie following day was passed in trading with 
the Crows for buffalo robes and skins, and in 
bartering galled and jaded horses for others that 
were in good condition. Some of the men, also, 
purchased horses on their own account, so that 
the number now amounted to one hundred and 
twenty one, most of them sound and active, and 
fit for mountain service. 

Their wants being supplied, they ceased all 
further traffic, much to the dissatisfaction of the 
Crows, who became extremely urgent to con- 
tinue the trade, and, finding their importunities 
of no avail, assumed an insolent and menacing 
tone. All this was attributed by Mr. Hunt and 
his associates to the perfidious instigations of 
Rose the interpreter, whom they suspected of the 
desire to foment ill-will between them and the 
savages, for the promotion of his nefarious plans. 
M'Lellan, with his usual tranchant mode of deal- 
ing out justice, resolved to shoot the desperado 
on the spot in case of any outbreak. Nothing 



304 ASTORIA. 

of the kind, however, occurred. The Crows 
were probably daunted by the resolute, though 
quiet demeanor of the white men, and the con- 
stant vigilance and armed preparations which 
they maintained ; and Rose, if he really still 
harbored his knavish designs, must have per- 
ceived that they were suspected, and, if at- 
tempted to be carried into effect, might bring 
ruin on his own head. 

The next morning, bright and early, Mr. 
Hunt proposed to resume his journeying. He 
took a ceremonious leave of the Crow chieftain, 
and his vagabond warriors, and according to pre- 
vious arrangements, consigned to their cherishing 
friendship and fraternal adoption, their worthy 
confederate Rose ; who, having figured among 
the water pirates of the Mississippi, was well fit- 
ted to rise to distinction among the land pirates 
of the Rocky Mountains. 

It is proper to add, that the ruffian was well 
received among the tribe, and appeared to be 
perfectly satisfied with the compromise he had 
made.; feeling much more at his ease among sav- 
ages than among white men. It is outcasts 
from civilization, fugitives from justice, and 
heartless desperadoes of this kind who sow the 
seeds of enmity and bitterness among the unfor- 
tunate tribes of the frontier. There is no enemy 
so implacable against a country or a community 
as one of its own people who has rendered him- 
self an alien by his crimes. 

Right glad to be delivered from this treacher- 
ous companion, Mr. Hunt pursued his course 



UNWELCOME VISITORS. 305 

along the skirts of the mountain, in a southera 
direction, seeking for some practicable defile by 
which he might pass through it ; none such pre- 
sented, however, in the course of fifteen miles, 
and he encamped on a small stream, still on the 
outskirts. The green meadows which border 
these mountain streams are generally well stocked 
with game, and the hunters killed several fat 
elks, which supplied the camp with fresh meat. 
In the evening the travellers were surprised by 
an unwelcome visit from several Crows belonging 
to a different band from that which they recently 
left, and who said their camp was among the 
mountains. The consciousness of being environed 
by such dangerous neighbors, and of being still 
within the range of Rose and his fellow ruffians, 
obliged the party to be continually on the alert, 
and to maintain weary vigils throughout the 
night, lest they should be robbed of their horses. 
On the third of September, finding that the 
mountain still stretched onwards, presenting a 
continued barrier, they endeavored to force a 
passage to the westward, but soon became en- 
tangled among rocks and precipices which set all 
their efforts at defiance. The mountain seemed, 
for the most part, rugged, bare, and sterile ; yet 
here and there it was clothed with pines, and 
with shrubs and flowering plants, some of which 
were in bloom. In toiling among these weary 
places, their thirst became excessive, for no 
water was to be met with. Numbers of the 
men wandered off into rocky dells and ravines 
in hopes of finding some brook or fountain ; some 



30 fi ASTORIA. 

of whom lost their way and did not rejoin the 
main party. 

After a day of painful and fruitless scrambling, 
Mr. Hunt gave up the attempt to penetrate in 
this direction, and, returning to the little stream 
on the skirts of the mountain, pitched his tents 
within six miles of his encampment of the pre- 
ceding night. He now ordered that signals 
should be made for the stragglers in quest of 
water, but the night passed away without their 
return. 

The next morning, to their surprise, Rose 
made his appearance at the camp, accompanied 
by some of his Crow associates. His unwelcome 
visit revived their suspicions ; but he announced 
himself as a messenger of good-will from the 
chief, who, finding they had taken the wrong 
road, had sent Rose and his companions to guide 
them to a nearer and better one across the 
mountain. 

Having no choice, being themselves utterly at 
fault, they set out under this questionable escort. 
They had not gone far before they fell in with 
the whole party of Crows, who, they now found, 
were going the same road with themselves. The 
two cavalcades of white and red men, therefore, 
pushed on together, and presented a wild and 
picturesque spectacle, as, equipped with various 
weapons and in various garbs, with trains of 
pack-horses, they wound in long lines through 
the rugged defiles, and up and down the crags 
and steeps of the mountain. 

The travellers had again an opportunity to see 



CHILD EQUESTRIANS. 307 

and admire the equestrian habitudes and address 
of this hard-riding tribe. They were all mounted, 
man, woman, and child, for the Crows have 
horses in abundance, so that no one goes on foot. 
The children are perfect imps on horseback. 
Among them was one so young that he could not 
yet speak. He was tied on a colt of two years 
old, but managed the reins as if by instinct, and 
plied the whip with true Indian prodigality. Mr. 
Hunt inquired the age of this infant jockey, and 
was answered that " he had seen tw^o winters." 

This is almost realizing the fable of the cen- 
taurs ; nor can we wonder at the equestrian 
adroitness of these savages, who are thus in a 
manner cradled in the saddle, and become in in- 
fancy almost identified with the animal they be- 
stride. 

The mountain defiles were exceedinorly rough 
and broken, and the travelling painful to the bur- 
dened horses. The party, therefore, proceeded but 
slowly, and were gradually left behind by the 
band of Crows, who had taken the lead. It is 
more than probable that Mr. Hunt loitered in 
his course, to g^i rid of such doubtful fellow- 
travellers. Certain it is that he felt a sensation 
of relief as he saw the whole crew, the renegade 
Rose and all, disappear among the windings of the 
mountain, and heard the last yelp of the savages 
die away in tlie distance. 

When they were fairly out of sight, and out of 
hearing, he encamped on the head waters of the 
little stream of the preceding day, having come 
about sixteen miles. Here he remained all the 



308 ASTORIA. 

succeeding day, as well to give time for the Crows 
to get in the advance, as for the stragglers, who 
had wandered away in quest of water two days 
previously, to rejoin the camp. Indeed, con- 
siderable uneasiness began to be felt concerning 
these men, lest they should become utterly 
bewildered in the defiles of the mountains, or 
should fall into the hands of some marauding 
band of savages. Some of the most experienced 
hunters were sent in search of them ; others, in 
the meantime, employed themselves in hunting. 
The narrow valley in which they encamped being 
watered by a running stream, yielded fresh pas- 
turage, and though in the heart of the Bighorn 
Mountains, was well stocked with buffalo. Sev- 
eral of these were killed, as also a grizzly bear. 
In the evening, to the satisfaction of all parties, 
the stragglers made their appearance, and provis- 
ions being in abundance, there was hearty good 
cheer in the camp. 



4k 




CHAPTER XXIX. 

lESUMING their course on the following 
morning, Mr. Hunt and his companions 
continued on westward throuo^h a rusrged 
region of hills and rocks, but diversified in many- 
places by grassy little glens, with springs of wa- 
ter, bright sparkling brooks, clumps of pine trees, 
and a profusion of flowering plants, which were 
in bloom, although the weather was frosty. 
These beautiful and verdant recesses, runninsr 
through and softening the rugged mountains, 
were cheering and refreshing to the wayworn 
travellers. 

In the course of the morning, as they were 
entangled in a defile, they beheld a small band 
of savages, as wild-looking as the surrounding 
scenery, who reconnoitred them warily from the 
rocks before they ventured to advance. Some of 
them were mounted on horses rudely caparisoned 
with bridles or halters of buffalo hide, one end 
trailing after them on the ground. They proved 
to be a mixed party of Flatheads and Shoshonies, 
or Snakes ; and as these tribes will be frequently 
mentioned in the course of this work, we shall 
give a few introductory particulars concerning 
them. 

The Flatheads in question are not to be con- 



310 ASTORIA. 

founded with those of the name who dwell about 
the lower waters of the Columbia ; neither do 
they flatten their heads, as the others do. They 
inhabit the banks of a river on the west side of 
the mountains, and are described as simple, hon- 
est, and hospitable. Like all people of similar 
character, whether civilized or savage, they are 
prone to be imposed upon ; and are especially 
maltreated by the ruthless Blackfeet, who harass 
them in their villages, steal their horses by night, 
or openly carry them off in the face of day, with- 
out provoking pursuit or retaliation. 

The Shoshonies are a branch of the once pow- 
erful and prosperous tribe of the Snakes, who 
possessed a glorious hunting country about the 
upper forks of the Missouri, abounding in beaver 
and buffalo. Their hunting ground was occa- 
sionally invaded by the Blackfeet, but the Snakes 
battled bravely for their domains, and a long and 
bloody feud existed, with variable success. At 
length the Hudson's Bay Company, extending 
their trade into the interior, had dealings with 
the Blackfeet, who were nearest to them, and 
supplied them with fire-arms. The Snakes, who 
occasionally traded with the Spaniards, endeav- 
ored, but in vain, to obtain similar weapons ; the 
Spanish traders wisely refused to arm them so 
formidably. The Blackfeet had now a vast ad- 
vantage, and soon dispossessed the poor Snakes 
of their favorite hunting grounds, their land of 
plenty, and drove them from place to place, until 
they were fain to take refuge in the wildest and 
most desolate recesses of the Rocky Mountains. 



DIGGERS AND SHOSHONIES. 311 

Even here they are subject to occasional visits 
from their implacable foes, as long as they have 
horses, or any other property to tempt the plun- 
derer. Thus by degrees the Snakes have be- 
come a scattered, broken-spirited, impoverished 
people ; keeping about lonely rivers and moun- 
tain streamsj and subsisting chiefly upon fish. 
Such of them as still possess horses, and occa- 
sionally figure as hunters, are called Shoshonies ; 
but there is another class, the most abject and 
forlorn, who are called Shuckers, or more com- 
monly Diggers and Root Eaters. These are a 
shy, secret, solitary race, who keep in the most 
retired parts of the mountains, lurking like 
gnomes in caverns and clefts of the rocks, and 
subsisting in a great measure on the roots of the 
earth. Sometimes, in passing through a solitary 
mountain valley, the traveller comes perchance 
upon the bleeding carcass of a deer or buffalo 
that has just been slain. He looks round in 
vain for the hunter ; the whole landscape is life- 
less and deserted : at length he perceives a 
thread of smoke, curling up from among the 
crags and cliffs, and scrambling to the place, 
finds some forlorn and skulking brood of Diggers, 
terrified at being discovered. 

The Shoshonies, however, who, as has been 
observed, have still " horse to ride and weapon 
to wear," are somewhat bolder in their spirit, 
and more open and wide in their wanderings. In 
the autumn, when salmon disappear from the 
rivers, and hunger begins to pinch, they even 
venture down into their ancient hunting grounds, 



3 12 ASTORIA. 

to make a foray among the buffaloes. In this 
perilous enterprise they are occasionally joined 
by the Flatheads, the persecutions of the Black- 
feet having produced a close alliance and coop- 
eration between these luckless and maltreated 
tribes. Still, notwithstanding their united force, 
every step they take within the debatable 
ground, is taken in fear and trembling, and with 
the utmost precaution : and an Indian trader 
assures us that he has seen at least five hun- 
dred of them, armed and equipped for action, 
and keeping watch upon the hill tops, while 
about fifty were hunting in the prairie. Their 
excursions are brief and hurried ; as soon as 
they have collected and jerked sufficient buffalo 
meat for winter provisions, they pack their horses, 
abandon the dangerous hunting grounds, and 
hasten back to the mountains, happy if they 
have not the terrible Blackfeet rattling after 
them. 

Such a confederate band of Shoshonies and 
Flatheads was the one met by our travellers. 
It was bound on a visit to the Arrapahoes, a tribe 
inhabiting the banks of the Nebraska. They 
were armed to the best of their scanty means, 
and some of the Shoshonies had bucklers of 
buffalo hide, adorned with feathers and leathern 
fringes, and which have a charmed virtue in 
their eyes, from having been prepared, with mys- 
tic ceremonies, by their conjurers. 

In company with this wandering band our 
travellers proceeded all day. In the evening 
they encamped near to each other in a defile of 



WIND RIVER. 313 

the mountains, on the borders of a stream run- 
ning north, and falling into Bighorn River. In 
the vicinity of the camp, they found gooseber- 
ries, strawberries, and currants, in great abund- 
ance. The defile bore traces of having been 
a thoroughfare for countless herds of buffaloes, 
though not one was to be seen. The hunters 
succeeded in killing an elk and several black- 
tailed deer. 

They were now in the bosom of the second 
Bighorn ridge, with another lofty and snow- 
crowned mountain full in view to the west. 
Fifteen miles of western course brought them, 
on the following day, down into an intervening 
plain, well stocked with buffalo. Here the 
Snakes and Flatheads joined with the white 
hunters in a successful hunt, that soon filled the 
camp with provisions. 

On the morning of the 9th of September, 
the travellers parted company with their Indian 
friends, and continued on their course to the west. 
A march of thirty miles brought them, in the 
evening, to the banks of a rapid and beauti- 
fully clear stream about a hundred yards wide. 
It is the north fork or branch of the Bighorn 
River, but bears its peculiar name of the Wind 
River, from being subject in the winter season to 
a continued blast which sweeps its banks and 
prevents the snow from lying on them. This 
blast is said to be caused by a narrow gap or 
funnel in the mountains, through which the river 
forces its way between perpendicular precipices, 
resembling cut rocks. 



314 ASTORIA. 

This river gives its name to a whole range of 
mountains consisting of three parallel chains, 
eighty miles in length, and about twenty or 
twenty-five broad. One of its peaks is probably 
fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, 
being one of the highest of the Rocky Sierra. 
These mountains give rise, not merely to the 
Wind or Bighorn River, but to several branches 
of the Yellowstone and the Missouri on the east, 
and of the Columbia and Colorado on the west ; 
thus dividing the sources of these mighty 
streams. 

For five succeeding days, Mr. Hunt and his 
party continued up the course of the Wind River, 
to the distance of about eighty miles, crossing 
and recrossing it, according to its windings, and 
the nature of its banks ; sometimes passing 
through valleys, at other times scrambling over 
rocks and hills. The country in general was 
destitute of trees, but they passed through groves 
of wormwood, eight and ten feet in height, which 
they used occasionally for fuel, and they met 
with large quantities of wild flax. 

The mountains were destitute of game ; they 
came in sight of two grizzly bears, but could not 
get near enough for a shot ; provisions, therefore, 
began to be scanty. They saw large flights of 
the kind of thrush commonly called the robin, 
and many smaller birds of migratory species ; 
but the hills in general appeared lonely and with 
few signs of animal life. On the evening of the 
14th September, they encamped on the forks of 
the Wind or Bighorn river. The largest of 



LANDMARKS OF THE COLUMBIA. 315 

these forks came from the range of Wind River 
Mountains. 

The hunters who served as guides to the party 
in this part of their route, had assured Mr. Hunt 
that, by following up Wind River, and crossing a 
single mountain ridge, he would come upon the 
head waters of the Columbia. This scarcity of 
game, however, which already had been felt to a 
pinching degree, and which threatened them with 
famine among the sterile heights which lay be- 
fore them, admonished them to change their 
course. It was determined, therefore, to make 
for a stream, which they were informed passed 
the neighboring mountains, to the south of west, 
on the grassy banks of which it was probable 
they would meet with buflfalo. Accordingly, 
about three o'clock on the following day, meeting 
with a beaten Indian road which led in the 
proper direction, they struck into it, turning their 
backs upon Wind River. 

In the course of the day, they came to a 
height that commanded an almost boundless 
prospect. Here one of the guides paused, and, 
after considering the vast landscape attentively, 
pointed to three mountain peaks glistening with 
snow, which rose, he said, above a fork of Co- 
lumbia River. They were hailed by the trav- 
ellers with that joy with which a beacon on a 
sea-shore is hailed by mariners after a long and 
dangerous voyage. It is true there was many a 
weary league to be traversed before they should 
reach these landmarks, for, allowing for their 
evident height and the extreme transparency of 



316 ASTORIA. 

the atmosphere, they could not be much less than 
a hundred miles distant. Even after reaching 
them, there would yet remain hundreds of miles 
of their journey to be accomplished. All these 
matters were forgotten in the joy at seeing the 
first landmarks of the Columbia, that river which 
formed the bourne of the expedition. These 
remarkable peaks are known to some travellers 
as the Tetons ; as they had been guiding points 
for many days, to Mr. Hunt, he gave them the 
name of the Pilot Knobs. 

The travellers continued their course to the 
south of west for about forty miles, through a 
region so elevated that patches of snow lay on 
the highest summits and on the northern decliv- 
ities. At length they came to the desired stream, 
the object of their search, the waters of which 
flowed to the west. It was, in fact, a branch of 
the Colorado, which falls into the Gulf of Cali- 
fornia, and had received from the hunters the 
name of Spanish River, from information given 
by the Indians that Spaniards resided upon its 
lower waters. 

The aspect of this river and its vicinity was 
cheering to the wayworn and hungry travellers. 
Its banks were green, and there were grassy 
valleys running from it in various directions, into 
the heart of the rugged mountains, with herds 
of buffalo quietly grazing. The hunters sallied 
forth with keen alacrity, and soon returned laden 
with provisions. 

In this part of the mountains Mr. Hunt met 
with three different kinds of gooseberries. The 



WILD FRUITS AND FOWL. 317 

common purple, on a low and very thorny bush ; 
a yellow kind, of an excellent flavor, growing on 
a stock free from thorns ; and a deep purple, of 
the size and taste of our winter grape, with a 
thorny stalk. There were also three kinds of 
currants, one very large and well tasted, of a 
purple color, and growing on a bush eight or 
nine feet high. Another of a yellow color, and 
of the size and taste of the large red currant, 
the bush four or five feet high ; and the third a 
beautiful scarlet, resembling the strawberry in 
sweetness, though rather insipid, and growing on 
a low bush. 

On the 17th they continued down the course 
of the river, making fifteen miles to the south- 
west. The river abounded with geese and ducks, 
and there were signs of its being inhabited by 
beaver and otters : indeed they were now ap- 
proaching regions where these animals, the great 
objects of the fur trade, are said to abound. 
They encamped for the night opposite the end 
of a mountain in the west, which was proba- 
bly the last chain of the Rocky Mountains. On 
the following morning they abandoned the main 
course of Spanish River, and taking a northwest 
direction for eight miles, came upon one of its 
little tributaries, issuing out of the bosom of the 
mountains, and running through green meadows, 
yielding pasturage to herds of buffalo. As these 
were probably the last of that animal they would 
meet with, they encamped on the grassy banks 
of the river, determining to spend several days 
in hunting, so as to be able to jerk sufficient 



318 ASTORIA. 

meat to supply them until they should reach the 
waters of the Columbia, where they trusted to 
find fish enough for their support. A little re- 
pose, too, was necessary for both men and horses, 
after their rugged and incessant marching ; hav- 
ing in the course of the last seventeen days 
traversed two hundred and sixty miles of rough, 
and in many parts sterile, mountain country. 






^to^ 




CHAPTER XXX. 

llVE days were passed by Mr. Hunt and 
his companions in the fresh meadows 
watered by the bright little mountain 
stream. The hunters made great havoc among 
the buffaloes, and brought in quantities of meat ; 
the voyageurs busied themselves about the fires, 
roasting and stewing for present purposes, or dry- 
ing provisions for the journey ; the pack-horses, 
eased of their burdens, rolled on the grass, or 
grazed at large about the ample pastures ; those 
of the party who had no call upon their services, 
indulged in the luxury of perfect relaxation, and 
the camp presented a picture of rude feasting 
and revelry, of mingled bustle and repose, char- 
acteristic of a halt in a fine hunting country. In 
the course of one of their excursions, some of 
the men came in sight of a small party of In- 
dians, who instantly fled in great apparent con- 
sternation. They immediately returned to camp 
with the intelligence : upon which Mr. Hunt and 
four others flung themselves upon their horses, 
and sallied forth to reconnoitre. After riding 
for about eight miles, they came upon a wild 
mountain scene. A lonely green valley stretched 
before them, surrounded by rugged heights. A 
herd of buffalo were careering madly through it, 



320 ASTORIA. 

with a troop of savage horsemen in full chase, 
plying them with their bows and arrows. The 
appearance of Mr. Hunt and his companions put 
an abrupt end to the hunt ; the buffalo scuttled 
off in one direction, wliile the Indians plied their 
lashes and galloped off in another, as fast as their 
steeds could carry them. Mr. Hunt gave chase ; 
there was a sharp scamper, though of short con- 
tinuance. Two young Indians, who were indif- 
ferently mounted, were soon overtaken. They 
were terribly frightened, and evidently gave them- 
selves up for lost. By degrees their fears were 
allayed by kind treatment ; but they continued to 
regard the strangers with a mixture of awe and 
wonder, for it was the first time in their lives 
they had ever seen a white man. 

They belonged to a party of Snakes who had 
come across the mountains on their autumnal 
hunting excursion to provide buffalo meat for the 
winter. Being persuaded of the peaceable in- 
tentions of Mr. Hunt and his companions, they 
willingly conducted them to their camp. It was 
pitched in a narrow valley on the margin of a 
stream. The tents were of dressed skins, some 
of them fantastically painted ; with horses graz- 
ing about them. The approach of the party 
caused a transient alarm in the camp, for these 
poor Indians were ever on the look-out for cruel 
foes. No sooner, however, did they recognize 
the garb and complexion of their visitors, than 
their apprehensions were changed into joy ; for 
some of them had dealt with wliite men, and 
knew them to be friendly, and to abound with 



HEAD WATERS OF THE COLUMBIA. 321 

articles of singular value. They welcomed them, 
therefore, to their tents, set food before them ; 
and entertained them to the best of their power. 

They had been successful in their hunt, and 
their camp was full of jerked buffalo meat, all 
of the choicest kind, and extremely fat. Mr. 
Hunt purchased enough of them, in addition to 
what had been killed and cured by his own 
hunters, to load all the horses excepting those 
reserved for the partners and the wife of Pierre 
Dorion. He found, also, a few beaver skins in 
their camp, for which he paid liberally, as an in- 
ducement to them to hunt for more ; informing 
them that some of his party intended to live 
among the mountains, and trade with the native 
hunters for their peltries. The poor Snakes soon 
comprehended the advantages thus held out to 
them, and promised to exert themselves to pro- 
cure a quantity of beaver skins for future traffic. 

Being now well supplied with provisions, Mr. 
Hunt broke up his encampment on the 24th of 
September, and continued on to the west. A 
march of fifteen miles, over a mountain ridge, 
brought them to a stream about fifty feet in 
width, which Hoback, one of their guides, who 
had trapped about the neighborhood when in the 
service of Mr. Henry, recognized for one of the 
head waters of the Columbia. The travellers 
hailed it with delight, as the first stream they had 
encountered tending toward their point of desti- 
nation. They kept along it for two days, during 
which, from the contribution of many rills and 
brooks, it gradually swelled into a small river. 
21 



322 ASTORIA. 

As it meandered among rocks and precipices, 
they were frequently obliged to ford it, and such 
was its rapidity, that the men were often in dan- 
ger of being swept away. Sometimes the banks 
advanced so close upon the river, that they were 
obliged to scramble up and down their rugged 
promontories, or to skirt along their bases where 
there was scarce a foothold. Their horses had 
dangerous falls in some of these passes. One of 
them rolled, with his load, nearly two hundred 
feet down hill into the river, but without receiv- 
ing any injury. At length they emerged from 
these stupendous defiles, and continued for sev- 
eral miles along the bank of Hoback's River, 
through one of the stern mountain valleys. 
Here it was joined by a river of greater mag- 
nitude and swifter current, and their united 
waters swept off through the valley in one im- 
petuous stream, which, from its rapidity and tur- 
bulence, had received the name of the Mad 
River. At the confluence of these streams the 
travellers encamped. An important point in 
their arduous journey had been attained, a few 
miles from their camp rose the three vast snowy 
peaks called the Tetons, or the Pilot Knobs, the 
great landmarks of the Columbia, by which they 
had shaped their course through this mountain 
wilderness. By their feet flowed the rapid cur- 
rent of Mad River, a stream ample enough to 
admit of the navigation of canoes, and down 
which they might possibly be able to steer their 
course to the main body of the Columbia. The 
Canadian voyageurs rejoiced at the idea of once 



PLEASING EXPECTATIONS. 323 

more launching themselves upon their favorite 
element ; of exchanging their horses for canoes, 
and of gliding down the bosoms of rivers, in- 
stead of scrambling over the backs of mountains. 
Others of the party, also, inexperienced in this 
kind of travelling, considered their toils and 
troubles as drawing to a close. They had con- 
quered the chief difficulties of this great rocky 
barrier, and now flattered themselves with the 
hope of an easy downward course for the rest of 
their journey. Little did they dream of the 
hardships and perils by land and water, which 
were yet to be encountered in the frightful wil- 
derness that intervened between them and the 
shores of the Pacific! 




CHAPTER XXXI. 



N the banks of Mad River Mr. Hunt 
held a consultation with the other part- 
|y^^^] ners as to their future movements. The 
wild and impetuous current of the river rendered 
him doubtful whether it might not abound with 
impediments lower down, sufficient to render 
the navigation of it slow and perilous, if not im- 
practicable. The hunters who had acted as 
guides, knew nothing of the character of the 
river below ; what rocks, and shoals, and rapids 
might obstruct it, or through what mountains and 
deserts it might jDass. Should they then abandon 
their horses, cast themselves loose in fragile barks 
upon this wild, doubtful, and unknown river ; or 
should they continue their more toilsome and 
tedious, but perhaps more certain wayfaring by 
land ? 

The vote, as might have been expected, was 
almost unanimous for embarkation ; for when 
men are in difficulties every change seems to be 
for the better. The difficulty now was to find 
timber of sufficient size for the construction of 
canoes, the trees in these high mountain regions 
being chiefly a scrubbed growth of pines and 
cedars, aspens, haws, and service-berries, and a 
small kind of cotton-tree, with a leaf resembling 



TRAPPERS DETACHED. 325 

that of the willow. There was a species of large 
fir, but so full of knots as to endauger the axe 
in hewing it. After searchmg for some time, a 
growth of timber, of sufficient size, was found 
lower down the river, whereupon the encamp- 
ment was moved to the vicinity. 

The men were now set to work to fell trees, 
and the mountains echoed to the unwonted sound 
of their axes. While preparations were thus 
going on for a voyage down the river, Mr. Hunt, 
who still entertained doubts of its practicability, 
dispatched an exploring party, consisting of John 
Reed, the clerk, John Day, the hunter, and 
Pierre Dorion, the interpreter, with orders to 
proceed several days' march along the stream, 
and notice its course and character. 

After their departure, Mr. Hunt turned his 
thoughts to another object of importance. He 
had now arrived at the head waters of the Colum- 
bia, which were among the main points embraced 
by the enterprise of Isli. Astor. These ujjper 
streams were reputed to abound in beaver, and 
had as yet been unmolested by the white trapper. 
The numerous signs of beaver met with during 
the recent search for timber, gave evidence that 
the neighborhood was a good " trapping ground." 
Here, then, it was proper to begin to cast loose 
those leashes of hardy trappers that are detached 
from trading parties in the very heart of the 
wilderness. The men detached in the present 
instance were Alexander Carson, Louis St. 
Michel, Pierre Detaye, and Pierre Delaunay. 
Trappers generally go in pairs, that they may 



326 ASTORIA. 

assist, protect, and comfort each other in their 
lonely and perilous occupations. Thus Carson 
and St. Michel formed one couple, and Detaye 
and Delaunay another. They were fitted out 
with traps, arms, ammunition, horses, and every 
other requisite, and were to trap upon the upper 
part of Mad River, and 'upon the neighboring 
streams of the mountains. This would probably 
occupy them for some months ; and, when they 
should have collected a sufficient quantity of 
peltries, they were to pack them upon their 
horses and make the best of their way to the 
mouth of Columbia River, or to any intermediate 
l^ost which might be established by the company. 
Tiiey took leave of their comrades and started 
off on their several courses with stout hearts and 
cheerful countenances ; though these lonely cruis- 
ings into a wild and hostile wilderness seem to 
the uninitiated equivalent to being cast adrift in 
the ship's yawl in the midst of the ocean. 

Of the perils that attend the lonely trapper, 
the reader will have sufficient proof, when he 
comes, in the after part of this work, to learn the 
hard fortunes of these poor fellows in the course 
of their wild peregrinations. 

The trappers had not long departed, when two 
Snake Indians wandered into the camp. When 
they perceived that the strangers were fabricating 
canoes, they shook their heads and gave them to 
understand that the river was not navigable. 
Their information, however, was scoffed at by 
some of the party, who were obstinately bent on 
embarkation, but was confirmed by the exploring 



31 AD RIVER ABANDONED. 327 

party, who returned after several days' absence. 
They had kept along the river with great difficulty 
for two days, and found it a narrow, crooked, 
turbulent stream, confined in a rocky channel, 
with many rapids, and occasionally overhung 
with precipices. From the summit of one of 
these they had caught a bird's-eye view of its 
boisterous career for a great distance through 
the heart of the mountain, with impending rocks 
and cliffs. Satisfied from this view that it was 
useless to follow its course, either by land or 
water, they had given up all further investigation. 

These concurring reports determined Mr. Hunt 
to abandon Mad River, and seek some more 
navigable stream. This determination was con- 
curred in by all his associates excepting Mr. 
JVIiller, who had become impatient of the fatigue 
of land travel, and was for immediate embarka- 
tion at all hazards. This gentleman had been in 
a gloomy and irritated state of mind for some 
time past, being troubled with a bodily malady 
that rendered travelling on horseback extremely 
irksome to liim, and being, moreover, discontented 
with having a smaller share in the 'expedition 
than his comrades. His unreasonable objections 
to a further march by land were overruled, and 
the party prepared to decamp. 

Robinson, Hoback, and Rezner, the three hun- 
ters who had hitherto served as guides among 
the mountains, now stepped forward, and advised 
Mr. Hunt to make for the post established during 
the preceding year by Mr. Henry, of the Missouri 
Fur Company. They had been with Mr. Henry, 



328 ASTORIA. 

and, as far as they could judge by the neighboring 
landmarks, his post could not be very far off. 
They presumed there could be but one intervening 
ridge of mountains, which might be passed with- 
out any great difficulty. Henry's post, or fort, 
was on an upper branch of the Columbia, down 
which they made no doubt it would be easy to 
navigate in canoes. 

The two Snake Indians being questioned in 
the matter, showed a perfect knowledge of the 
situation of the post, and offered, with great alac- 
rity, to guide them to the place. Their offer was 
accepted, greatly to the displeasure of Mr. Miller, 
who seemed obstinately bent ujDon braving the 
perils of Mad River. 

The weather for a few days past had been 
stormy, with rain and sleet. The Rocky Moun- 
tains are subject to tempestuous winds from the 
west ; these sometimes come in flaws or currents, 
making a path through the forests many yards in 
width, and whirling off trunks and branches to a 
great distance. The present storm subsided on 
the third of October, leaving all the surrounding 
heights covered with snow ; for, while rain had 
fallen in the valley, it had snowed on the hill tops. 

On the 4th, they broke up their encampment, 
and crossed the river, the water coming up to the 
girths of their horses. After travelling four miles, 
they encamped at the foot of the mountain, the 
last, as they hoped, which they should have to 
traverse. Four days more took them across it, 
and over several plains, watered by beautiful little 
streams, tributaries of Mad River. Near one of 



ARRIVAL AT EENRTS POST. 329 

their encampments there was a hot spring con- 
tinually emitting a cloud of vapor. These ele- 
vated plains, which give a peculiar character to 
the mountains, are frequented by large gangs of 
antelopes, fleet as the wind. 

On the evening of the 8 th of October, after a 
cold wintry day, with gusts of westerly wind and 
flurries of snow, they arrived at the sought-for 
post of Mr. Henry. Here he had fixed himself, 
after being compelled by the hostilities of the 
Blackfeet, to abandon the upper waters of the 
Missouri. The post, however, was deserted, for 
Mr. Henry had left it in the course of the pre- 
ceding spring, and, as it afterwards appeared, had 
fallen in with Mr. Lisa, at the Arickara village on 
the Missouri, some time after the separation of 
]VIr. Hunt and liis party. 

The weary travellers gladly took possession of 
the deserted log huts which had formed the post, 
and which stood on the bank of a stream upwards 
of a hundred yards wide, on which they intended 
to embark. There being plenty of suitable timber 
in the neighborhood, ]Mr. Hunt immediately pro- 
ceeded to construct canoes. As he would have 
to leave his horses and their accoutrements here, 
he determined to make this a trading post, where 
the trappers and hunters, to be distributed about 
the country, might repair ; and where the traders 
might touch on their way through the mountains 
to and from the establishment at the mouth of the 
Columbia. He informed the two Snake Indians 
of this determination, and engaged them to remain 
in that neighborhood and take care of the horses 



330 ASTORIA. 

until the white men should return, promising them 
ample rewards for their fidelity. It may seem a 
desperate chance to trust to the faith and honesty 
of two such vagabonds ; but, as the horses would 
have, at all events, to be abandoned, and would 
otherwise become the property of the first vagrant 
horde that should encounter them, it was one 
chance in favor of their being ree^ained. 

At this place another detachment of hunters 
prepared to separate from the party for the pur- 
pose of trapping beaver. Three of these had al- 
ready been in this neighborhood, being the veteran 
Robinson and his companions, Hoback and Rezner, 
who had accompanied Mr. Henry across the moun- 
tains, and who had been picked up by Mr. Hunt 
on the Missouri, on their way home to Kentucky. 
According to agreement they were fitted out with 
horses, traps, ammunition, and everything requisite 
for their undertaking, and were to bring in all the 
peltries they should collect, either to this trading 
post, or to the establishment at the mouth of Co- 
lumbia River. Another hunter, of the name of 
Cass, was associated with them in their enterprise. 
It is in this way that small knots of trappers and 
hunters are distributed about the wilderness by 
the fur companies, and like cranes and bitterns, 
haunt its solitary streams. Robinson, the Ken- 
tuckian, the veteran of the " bloody ground," who, 
as has already been noted, had been scalped by 
the Indians in his younger days, was the leader 
of this little band. When they were about to 
depart, Mr. Miller called the partners together 
and threw up his share in the company, declaring 
his intention of joinmg the party of trappers. 



ME. MILLER TURNS TRAPPER. 331 

This resolution struck every one with astonish- 
ment, IVIr. Miller being a man of education and 
of cultivated habits, and little fitted for the rude 
life of a hunter. Besides, the precarious and 
slender profits arising from such a life were be- 
neath the prospects of one who held a share in 
the general enterprise. Mr. Hunt was especially 
concerned and mortified at his determination, as 
it was through his advice and influence he had en- 
tered into the concern. He endeavored, therefore, 
dissuade him from this sudden resolution ; rep- 
resenting its rashness, and the hardships and 
perils to which it would expose him. He earnestly 
advised him, however he might feel dissatisfied 
with the enterprise, still to continue on in company 
until they should reach the mouth of Columbia 
River. There they would meet the expedition 
that was to come by sea ; when, should he still 
feel disposed to relinquish the undertaking, IVIr. 
Hunt pledged himself to furnish him a passage 
home in one of the vessels belonging to the com- 
pany. 

To aU this Miller replied abruptly, that it was 
useless to argue with him, as his mind was made 
up. They might furnish him, or not, as they 
pleased, with the necessary supplies, but he was 
determined to part company here, and set off with 
the trappers. So saying, he flung out of their 
presence without vouchsafing any further con- 
versation. 

Much as this wayward conduct gave them anx- 
iety, the partners saw it was in vain to remon- 
strate. Every attention was paid to fit him out 



332 ASTORIA. 

for his headstrong undertaking. He was provided 
with four horses, and all the articles he required. 
The two Snakes undertook to conduct him and 
his companions to an encampment of their tribe, 
lower down among the mountains, from whom 
they would receive information as to the best 
trapping grounds. After thus guiding them, the 
Snakes were to return to Fort Henry, as the 
new trading post was called, and take charge of 
the horses which the party would leave there, of 
which, after all the hunters were supplied, there 
remained seventy-seven. These matters being all 
arranged, Mr. Miller set out with his companions, 
under guidance of the two Snakes, on the 10th 
of October ; and much did it grieve the friends 
of that gentleman to see him thus wantonly cast- 
ing himself loose upon savage life. How he and 
his comrades fared in the wilderness, and how the 
Snakes acquitted themselves of their trust respect- 
ing the horses, will hereafter appear in the course 
of these rambling anecdotes. 






CHAPTER XXXII. 

|HILE the canoes were in preparation, 
the hunters ranged about the neighbor- 
hood, but with little success. Tracks 
of buffaloes were to be seen m all directions, but 
none of a fresh date. There were some elk, but 
extremely wild ; two only were killed. Ante- 
lopes were likewise seen, but too shy and fleet to 
be approached. A few beavers were taken every 
night, and salmon trout of a small size, so tha^ 
the camp had principally to subsist upon dried 
buffalo meat. 

On the 14th, a poor, half-naked Snake Indian, 
one of that forlorn caste called the Shuckers, or 
Diggers, made his appearance at the camp. He 
came from some lurking-place among the rocks 
and cliffs, and presented a picture of that famish- 
ing wretchedness to which these lonely fugitives 
among the mountains are sometimes reduced. 
Having received wherewithal to allay his hunger, 
he disappeared, but in the course of a day or two 
returned to the camp, bringing with him his son, 
a miserable boy, still more naked and forlorn 
than himself. Food was given to both ; they 
skulked about the camp like hungry hounds, seek- 
ing what they might devour, and having gathered 



334 ASTORIA. 

up the feet and entrails of some beavers that 
were lying about, slunk off with them to their 
den among the rocks. 

By the 18th of October, fifteen canoes were 
completed, and on the following day the party 
embarked with their effects ; leaving their horses 
grazing about the banks, and trusting to the hon- 
esty of the two Snakes, and some special turn of 
good luck for their future recovery. 

The current bore them along at a rapid rate ; 
the light spirits of the Canadian voyageurs, which 
had occasionally flagged upon land, rose to their 
accustomed buoyancy on finding themselves again 
upon the water. They wielded their paddles 
with their wonted dexterity, and for the first time 
made the mountains echo with their favorite boat 
songs. 

in. the course of the day the little squadron 
arrived at the confluence of Henry and Mad 
Rivers, which, thus united, swelled into a beauti- 
ful stream of a light pea-green color, navigable 
for boats of any size, and which, from the place 
of junction, took the name of Snake River, a 
stream doomed to be the scene of much disaster 
to the travellers. The banks were here and 
there fringed with willow thickets and small cot- 
ton-wood trees. The weather was cold, and it 
snowed all day, and great flocks of ducks and 
geese, sporting in the water or streaming through 
the air, gave token that winter was at hand ; yet 
the hearts of the travellers were light, and, as 
they glided down the little river, they flattered 
themselves with the hope of soon reaching the 



THE BEGINNING OF TROUBLES. 335 

Columbia. After making thirty miles in a south- 
erly direction, they encamped for the night in a 
neighborhood which required some little vigilance, 
as there were recent traces of grizzly bears among 
the thickets. 

On the following day the river increased in 
width and beauty ; flowing parallel to a range of 
mountains on the left, which at times were finely 
reflected in its light green waters. The three 
snowy summits of the Pilot Knobs or Tetons 
were still seen towering in the distance. After 
pursuing a swift but placid course for twenty 
miles, the current began to foam and brawl, and 
assume the wild and broken character common to 
the streams west of the Rocky Mountains. In 
fact the rivers which flow from those mountains 
to the Pacific, are essentially diflferent from those 
which traverse the great prairies on their eastern 
declivities. The latter, though sometimes bois- 
terous, are generally free from obstructions, and 
easily navigated ; but the rivers to the west of 
the mountains descend more steeply and impetu- 
ously, and are continually liable to cascades and 
rapids. The latter abounded in the part of the 
river which the travellers were now descending. 
Two of the canoes filled among the breakers ; 
the crews were saved, but much of the lading 
was lost or damaged, and one of the canoes 
drifted down the stream and was broken among 
the rocks. 

On the following day, October 21st, they made 
but a short distance when they came to a danger- 
ous strait, where the river was compressed for 



336 ASTORIA. 

nearly half a mile between perpendicular rocks, 
reducing it to the width of twenty yards, and in- 
creasing its violence. Here they were obliged to 
pass the canoes down cautiously by a line from 
the impending banks. This consumed a great 
part of a day ; and after they had reembarked 
they were soon again impeded by rapids, when 
they had to unload their canoes and carry them 
and their cargoes for some distance by land. It 
is at these places, called " portages," that the 
Canadian voyageur exhibits his most valuable 
qualities ; carrying heavy burdens, and toiling to 
and fro, on land and in the water, over rocks 
and precipices, among brakes and brambles, not 
only without a murmur, but with the greatest 
cheerfulness and alacrity, joking and laughing and 
singing scraps of old French ditties. 

The spirits of the party, however, which had 
been elated on first varying their journeying from 
land to water, had now lost some of their buoy- 
ancy. Everything ahead was wrapped in uncer- 
tainty. They knew nothing of the river on 
which they were floating. It had never been 
navigated by a white man, nor could they meet 
with an Indian to give them any information con- 
cerning it. It kept on its course through a vast 
wilderness of silent and apparently uninhabited 
mountains, without a savage wigwam upon its 
banks, or bark upon its waters. The difficulties 
and perils they had already passed, made them 
apprehend others before them, that might effec- 
tually bar their progress. As they glided onward, 
however, they regained heart and hope. The 



AN UNINHABITED COUNTRY. 337 

current continued to be strong ; but it was steady, 
and though they met with frequent rapids, none 
of them were bad. Mountains were constantly 
to be seen in different directions, but sometimes 
the swift river glided through prairies, and was 
bordered by small cotton-wood trees and willows. 
These prairies at certain seasons are ranged by 
migratory herds of the wide-wandering buffalo, 
the tracks of which, though not of recent date, 
were frequently to be seen. Here, too, were to 
be found the prickly pear or Indian fig, a plant 
which loves a more southern climate. On the 
land were large flights of magpies and American 
robins ; whole fleets of ducks and geese navigated 
the river, or flew off in long streaming files at the 
approach of the canoes ; while the frequent estab- 
lishments of the painstaking and quiet-loving 
beaver, showed that the solitude of these waters 
was rarely disturbed, even by the all-pervading 



They had now come near two hundred and 
eighty miles since leaving Fort Henry, yet with- 
out seeing a human being, or a human habitation ; 
a wild and desert solitude extended on either side 
of the river, apparently almost destitute of animal 
life. At length, on the 24th of October, they 
were gladdened by the sight of some savage 
tents, and hastened to land and visit them, for 
they were anxious to procure information to 
guide them on their route. On their approach, 
however, the savages fled in consternation. They 
proved to be a wandering band of Shoshonies. 
In their tents were great quantities of small fish 
22 



338 ASTORIA. 

about two inches long, together with roots and 
seeds, or grain, which they were drying for winter 
provisions. They appeared to be destitute of 
tools of any kind, yet there were bows and 
arrows very well made ; the former were formed 
of pine, cedar, or bone, strengthened by sinews, 
and the latter of the wood of rose-bushes, and 
other crooked plants, but carefully straightened, 
and tipped with stone of a bottle-green color. 

There were also vessels of willow and grass, 
so closely wrought as to hold water, and a seine 
neatly made with meshes, in the ordinary man- 
ner, of the fibres of wild flax or nettle. The 
humble effects of the poor savages remained un- 
molested by their visitors, and a few small 
articles, with a knife or two, were left in the 
camp, and were no doubt regarded as invaluable 
prizes. 

Shortly after leaving this deserted camp, and 
reembarking in the canoes, the travellers met 
with three of the Snakes on a triangular raft 
made of flags or reeds ; such was their rude 
mode of navigating the river. They were entirely 
naked excepting small mantles of hare skins 
over their shoulders. The canoes approached 
near enough to gain a full view of them, but they 
were not to be brought to a parley. 

All further progress for the day was barred by 
a fall in the river of about thirty feet perpendicu- 
lar ; at the head of which the party encamped 
for the night. 

The next day was one of excessive toil and 
but little progress : the river winding through a 



A FRIGHTENED SNAKE. 339 

wild rocky country, and being interrupted by 
frequent rapids, among which the canoes were in 
great peril. On the succeeding day they again 
visited a camp of wandering Snakes, but the 
inhabitants fled with terror at the sight of a fleet 
of canoes, filled with white men, coming down 
their soHtary river. 

As Mr. Hunt was extremely anxious to gain 
information concerning his route, he endeavored 
by all kinds of friendl}'^ signs to entice back the 
fugitives. At length one, who was on horseback, 
ventured back with fear and trembling. He was 
better clad, and in better condition, than most of 
his vagrant tribe that Mr. Hunt had yet seen. 
The chief object of his return appeared to be to 
intercede for a quantity of dried meat and salmon 
trout, which he had left behind ; on which, prob- 
ably, he depended for his winter's subsistence. 
The poor wretch approached with hesitation, the 
alternate dread of famine and of white men 
operating upon his mind. He made the most 
abject signs, imploring Mr, Hunt not to carry off 
his food. The latter tried in every way to reas- 
sure him, and offered him knives in exchange for 
his provisions ; great as was the temjDtation, the 
poor Snake could only prevail upon himself to 
spare a part ; keeping a feverish watch over the 
rest, lest it should be taken away. It was in 
vain Mr. Hunt made inquiries of him concerning 
his route, and the course of the river. The 
Indian was too much frightened and bewildered 
to comprehend him or to reply ; he did nothing 
but alternately commend himself to the protec- 



340 ASTORIA. 

tion of the Good Spirit, and supplicate Mr. Hunt 
not to take away his fish and buffalo meat ; and 
in this state they left him, trembling about his 
treasures. 

In the course of that and the next day they 
made nearly eight miles ; the river inclining to 
the south of west, and being clear and beautifLil, 
nearly half a mile in width, with many poj^ulous 
communities of the beaver along its banks. The 
28th of October, however, was a day of disaster. 
The river again became rough and impetuous, 
and was chafed and broken by numerous rapids. 
These grew more and more dangerous, and the 
utmost skill was required to steer among them. 
Mr. Crooks was seated in the second canoe of the 
squadron, and had an old experienced Canadian 
for steersman, named Antoine Clappme, one of 
the most valuable of the voyageurs. The lead- 
ing canoe had glided safely among the turbulent 
and roaring surges, but in following it, Mr. Crooks 
perceived that his canoe was bearing towards a 
rock. He called out to the steersman, but his 
warning voice was either unheard or unheeded. 
In the next moment they struck upon the rock. 
The canoe was split and overturned. There 
were five persons on board. Mr. Crooks and 
one of his companions were thrown amidst roar- 
ing breakers and a whirling current, but succeeded, 
by strong swimming, to reach the shore. Clap- 
pine and two others clung to the shattered bark, 
and drifted with it to a rock. The wreck struck 
the rock with one end, and swinging round, flung 
poor Clappine off into the raging stream, which 



THE CALDRON LINN, 341 

swept him away, and he perished. His comrades 
succeeded in getting upon the rock, from whence 
they were afterwards taken off. 

This disastrous event brought the whole squad- 
ron to a halt, and struck a chill into every bosom. 
Indeed they had arrived at a terrific strait, that 
forbade all further progress in the canoes, and 
dismayed the most experienced voyageur. The 
whole body of the river was compressed into a 
space of less than thirty feet in width, between 
two ledges of rocks, upwards of two hundred 
feet high, and formed a whirling and tumultuous 
vortex, so frightfully agitated, as to receive the 
name of " The Caldron Linn." Beyond this 
fearful abyss, the river kept raging and roaring 
on, until lost to sight among impending preci- 
pices. 




CHAPTER XXXin. 

|R. HUNT and his companions encamped 
u23on the borders of the Caldron Linn, 
and held gloomy counsel as to their fu- 
ture course. The recent wreck had dismayed 
even the voyageurs, and the fate of their popular 
comrade, Clappine, one of the most adroit and 
experienced of their fraternity, had struck sorrow 
to their hearts, for with all their levity, these 
thoughtless beings have great kindness towards 
each other. 

The whole distance they had navigated since 
leaving Henry's Fort, was computed to be about 
three hundred and forty miles ; strong apprehen- 
sions were now entertained that the tremendous 
impediments before them would oblige them to 
abandon their canoes. It was determined to 
send exploring parties on each side of the river 
to ascertain whether it was possible to navigate it 
further. Accordingly, on the following morning, 
three men were dispatched along the south bank, 
whOe Mr. Hunt and three others proceeded 
along the north. The two parties returned after 
a weary scramble among swamps, rocks, and 
precipices, and with very disheartenmg accounts. 
For nearly forty miles that they had explored, 
the river foamed and roared along through a 



DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES. 343 

deep and narrow channel, from twenty to thirty 
yards wide, which it had worn, in the course of 
ages, through the heart of a barren, rocky coun- 
try. The precipices on each side were often 
two and three hundred feet high, sometimes per- 
pendicular, and sometimes overhanging, so that 
it was impossible, excepting in one or two places, 
to get down to the margin of the stream. This 
dreary strait was rendered the more dangerous 
by frequent rapids, and occasionally perpendicu- 
lar falls from ten to forty feet in height ; so that 
it seemed almost hopeless to attempt to pass the 
canoes down it. The party, however, who had 
explored the south side of the river had found 
a place, about six miles from the camp, where 
they thought it possible the canoes might be car- 
ried down the bank and launched upon the 
stream, and from whence they might make their 
way with the aid of occasional portages. Four 
of the best canoes were accordingly selected for 
the experiment, and were transported to the 
place on the shoulders of sixteen of the men. 
At the same time Mr. Reed the clerk, and three 
men, were detached to explore the river still 
further down than the previous scouting parties 
had been, and at the same time to look out for 
Indians, from whom provisions might be obtained, 
and a supply of horses, should it be found neces- 
sary to proceed by land. 

The party who had been sent with the canoes 
returned on the following day, weary and de- 
jected. One of the canoes had been swept 
away with all the weapons and effects of four 



344 ASTORIA. 

of the voyageurs, in attempting to pass it down 
a rapid by means of a line. The other three 
had stuck fast among the rocks, so that it was 
impossible to move them ; the men returned, 
therefore, in despair, and declared the river un- 
navigable. 

The situation of the unfortunate travellers was 
now gloomy in the extreme. They were in the 
heart of an unknown wilderness, untraversed as 
yet by a white man. They were at a loss what 
route to take, and how far they were from the 
ultimate place of their destination, nor could they 
meet in these uninhabited wUds with any human 
bemg to give them information. The repeated 
accidents to their canoes had reduced their stock 
of provisions to five days' allowance, and there 
was now every appearance of soon having famine 
added to their other sufferings. 

This last circumstance rendered it more peril- 
ous to keep together than to separate. Accord- 
ingly, after a little anxious but bewildered counsel, 
it was determined that several small detachments 
should start off in different directions, headed by 
the several partners. Should any of them suc- 
ceed in falling in with friendly Indians, withm a 
reasonable distance, and obtaining a supply of 
provisions and horses, they were to return to the 
aid of the main body : otherwise they were to 
shift for themselves, and shape their course ac- 
cording to circumstances ; keeping the mouth of 
the Columbia River as the ultimate point of their 
wayfaring. Accordingly, three several parties 
set off from the camp at Caldron Linn, in oppo- 



GLOOMY PROSPECTS. 345 

site directions. Mr. M'Lellan, with three men, 
kept down along the bank of the river. Mr. 
Crooks, with five others, turned their steps up it ; 
retracing by land the weary course they had 
made by water, intending, should they not find 
relief nearer at hand, to keep on until they 
should reach Henry's Fort, where they hoped to 
find the horses they had left there, and to return 
with them to the main body. 

The thu'd party, composed of five men, was 
headed by Mr. M'Kenzie, who struck to the 
northward, across the desert jDlains, in hopes 
of coming upon the main stream of the Colum- 
bia. 

Having seen these three adventurous bands 
depart upon their forlorn expeditions, Mr. Hunt 
turned his thoughts to provide for the subsistence 
of the main body left to his charge, and to pre- 
pare for their future march. There remained 
with him thirty-one men, beside the squaw and 
two children of Pierre Dorion. There was no 
game to be met with in the neighborhood ; but 
beavers were occasionally trap23ed about the 
river banks, which afforded a scanty supply 
of food ; in the meantime they comforted them- 
selves that some one or other of the forao^insj de- 
tachments would be successful, and return with 
relief. 

Mr. Hunt now set to work with all diligence, 
to prepare caches, in which to deposit the bag- 
gage and merchandise, of which it would be 
necessary to disburden themselves, preparatory 
to theu' weary march by land : and here we shall 



346 ASTORIA. 

give a brief description of those contrivances, so 
noted in the wilderness. 

A cache is a term common among traders and 
hunters, to designate a hiding-place for provisions 
and effects. It is derived from the French word 
cacher, to conceal, and originated among the early 
colonists of Canada and Louisiana ; but the se- 
cret depository which it designates was in use 
among the aboriguaals long before the intrusion 
of the white men. It is, in fact, the only mode 
that migratory hordes have of preserving their 
valuables from robbery, during their long ab- 
sences from their villages or accustomed haunts, 
on hunting exjjeditions, or during the vicissitudes 
of war. The utmost skill and caution are re- 
quired to render these places of concealment in- 
visible to the lynx eye of an Indian. The fii'st 
care is to seek out a proper situation, which is 
generally some dry, low, bank of clay, on the 
margin of a water-course. As soon as the pre- 
cise sjjot is pitched upon, blankets, saddle-cloths, 
and other coverings, are spread over the sur- 
rounding grass and bushes, to prevent foot-tracks, 
or any other derangement ; and as few hands as 
possible are employed. A circle of about two 
feet in diameter is then nicely cut in the sod, 
which is carefully removed, with the loose soil 
immediately beneath it, and laid aside in a place 
where it will be safe from anything that may 
change its appearance. The uncovered area is 
then digged perpendicularly to the deptli of about 
three feet, and is then gradually widened so as to 
form a conical chamber six or seven feet deep. 



THE CACHE. 347 

The whole of the earth displaced by this process, 
being of a diiFerent color from that on the sur- 
face, is handed up in a vessel, and heaped into a 
skin or cloth, in which it is conveyed to the 
stream and thrown into the midst of the current, 
that it may be entirely carried off. Should the 
cache not be formed in the vicinity of a stream, 
the earth thus thrown up is carried to a distance, 
and scattered in such manner as not to leave the 
minutest trace. The cave being formed, is well 
lined with dry grass, bark, sticks, and poles, and 
occasionally a dried hide. The property intended 
to be hidden is then laid in, after having been 
well aired : a hide is spread over it, and dried 
grass, brush, and stones thrown in, and trampled 
down until the pit is filled to the neck. The 
loose soil which had been put aside is then 
brought and rammed down firmly, to prevent its 
caving in, and is frequently sprinkled with water, 
to destroy the scent, lest the wolves and bears 
should be attracted to the place, and root up the 
concealed treasure. When the neck of the cache 
is nearly level with the surrounding surface, the 
sod is again fitted in with the utmost exactness, 
and any bushes, stocks, or stones, that may have 
originally been about the spot, are restored to 
their former places. The blankets and other 
coverings are then removed from the surrounding 
herbage ; all tracks are obliterated ; the grass is 
gently raised by the hand to its natural position, 
and the minutest chip or straw is scrupulously 
gleaned up and thrown into the stream. After 
all this is done, the place is abandoned for the 



348 ASTORIA. 

night, and, if all be right next morning, is not 
visited again, until there be a necessity for re- 
opening the cache. Four men are sufficient, in 
this way, to conceal the amount of three tons 
weight of merchandise in the course of two days. 
Nme caches were required to contain the goods 
and baggage which Mr. Hunt found it necessary 
to leave at this place. 

Three days had been thus employed since the 
departure of the several detachments, when that 
of Mr. Crooks unexpectedly made its appearance. 
A momentary joy was diffused through the camp, 
for they supposed succor to be at hand. It was 
soon dispelled. Mr. Crooks and his companions 
had been completely disheartened by this retro- 
gade march through a bleak and barren country ; 
and had found, computing from their progress and 
the accumulating difficulties besetting every step, 
that it would be impossible to reach Henry's 
Fort, and return to the main body in the course 
of the winter. They had determined, therefore, 
to rejoin their comrades, and share their lot. 

One avenue of hope was thus closed upon the 
anxious sojourners at the Caldron Linn ; their 
main expectation of relief was now from the two 
parties under Reed and M'Lellan, which had pro- 
ceeded down the river ; for, as to Mr. M'Kenzie's 
detachment, which had struck across the plains, 
they thought it would have sufficient difficulty in 
struggling forward through the trackless wilder- 
ness. For five days they continued to support 
themselves by trapping and fishing. Some fish 
of tolerable size were speared at night by the 



THE DEVIL'S SCUTTLE HOLE. 349 

light of cedar torches ; others that were very 
small, were caught in nets with fine meshes. The 
product of their fishing, however, was very scanty. 
Their trapping was also precarious ; and the tails 
and bellies of the beavers were dried and put by 
for the journey. 

At length two of the companions of Mr. Reed 
returned, and were hailed with the most anxious 
eagerness. Their report served but to increase 
the general despondency. They had followed Mr. 
Reed for some distance below the point to which 
Mr. Hunt had explored, but had met with no In- 
dians from whom to obtain information and relief. 
The river still presented the same furious aspect, 
brawlmg and boiling along a narrow and rugged 
channel, between rocks that rose like walls. 

A Ungering hope, which had been indulged by 
some of the party, of proceeding by water, was 
now finally given up : the long and terrific strait 
of the river set all further progress at defiance, 
and in their disgust at the place, and their vexa- 
tion at the disasters sustained there, they gave it 
the indignant, though not very decorous, appella- 
tion of the Devil's Scuttle Hole. 




CHAPTER XXXIV. 

HE resolution of Mr. Hunt and his com- 
panions was now taken to set out im- 
mediately on foot. As to the other 
detachments that had in a manner gone forth to 
seek their fortunes, there was little chance of their 
return ; they would probably make their own 
way through the wilderness. At any rate, to 
linger in the vague hope of relief from them, 
would be to run the risk of perishing with 
hunger. Besides, the winter was rapidly ad- 
vancing, and they had a long journey to make 
through an unknown country, where all kinds of 
perils might await them. They were yet, in fiict, 
a thousand miles from Astoria, but the distance 
was unknown to them at the time : everything 
before and around them was vague and conjec- 
tural, and wore an aspect calculated to inspire 
despondency. 

In abandoning the river, they would have to 
launch forth upon vast trackless plains destitute 
of all means of subsistence, where they might 
perish of hunger and thirst. A dreary desert of 
sand and gravel extends from Snake River almost 
to the Columbia. Here and there is a thin and 
scanty herbage, insufficient for the pasturage of 
horse or buffalo. Indeed, these treeless wastes 



PREPARATIONS FOR A MARCH. 351 

between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific, 
are even more desolate and barren than the 
naked, upper prairies on the Atlantic side ; they 
present vast desert tracts that must ever defy 
cultivation, and interjDOse dreary and thirsty wilds 
between the habitations of man, in traversing 
which, the wanderer will often be in danger of 
perishing. 

Seeing the hopeless character of these wastes, 
Mr. Hunt and his companions determined to 
keep along the course of the river, where they 
would always have water at hand, and would be 
able occasionally to procure fish and beaver, and 
might perchance meet with Indians, from whom 
they could obtain provisions. 

They now made their final preparations for 
the march. All their remaining stock of pro- 
visions consisted of forty pounds of Indian corn, 
twenty pounds of grease, about five pounds of 
portable soup, and a sufiicient quantity of dried 
meat to allow each man a pittance of five pounds 
and a quarter, to be reserved for emergencies. 
This being properly distributed, they deposited 
all their goods and superfluous articles in the 
caches, taking nothing with them but what was 
indispensable to the journey. With all their 
management, each man had to carry twenty 
pounds' weight beside his own articles and equip- 
ments. 

That they might have the better chance of 
procuring subsistence in the scanty region they 
were to traverse, they divided their party into 
two bands, Mr. Hunt, with eighteen men, beside 



352 ASTORIA. 

Pierre Dorion and his family, was to proceed 
down the north side of the river, while Mr. 
Crooks, with eighteen men, kept along the south 
side. 

On the morning of the 9th of October, the 
two parties separated and set forth on their sev- 
eral courses. Mr. Hunt and his companions fol- 
lowed along the right bank of the river, which 
made its way far below them, brawling at the 
foot of perpendicular precipices of solid rock, 
two and three hundred feet high. For twenty- 
eight miles that they travelled this day, they 
found it impossible to get down to the margin 
of the stream. At the end of this distance they 
encamped for the night at a place which admitted 
a scrambling descent. It was with the greatest 
difficulty, however, that they succeeded in getting 
up a kettle of water from the river for the use of 
the camp. As some rain had fallen in the after- 
noon, they passed the night under the shelter of 
the rocks. 

The next day they continued thirty-two miles 
to the northwest, keeping along the river, which 
still ran in its deep-cut channel. Here and 
there a shady beach or a narrow strip of soil, 
fringed with dwarf willows, would extend for a 
little distance along the foot of the cliffs, and 
sometimes a reach of still water would inter- 
vene like a smooth mirror between the foaming 
rapids. 

As through the preceding day, they journeyed 
on without finding, except in one instance, any 
place where they could get down to the river's 



SHOSHONIE LODGES. 353 

edge, and they were fain to allay the thu'st caused 
by hard travelling, with the water collected in 
the hollow of the rocks. 

In the course of their march on the following 
morning, they fell into a beaten horse path 
leading along the river, which showed that 
they were in the neighborhood of some Indian 
village or encampment. They had not proceeded 
far along it, when they met with two Shoshonies, 
or Snakes. They approached with some appear- 
ance of uneasiness, and accosting Mr Hunt, held 
up a knife, which by signs they let liim know 
they had received from some of the white men 
of the advance parties. It was with some diffi- 
culty that Mr. Hunt prevailed upon one of the 
savages to conduct him to the lodges of his peo- 
ple. Striking into a trail or path which led up 
from the river, he guided them for some distance 
in the prairie, until they came in sight of a num- 
ber of lodges made of straw, and shaj)ed like 
hay stacks. Their approach, as on former occa- 
sions, caused the wildest affright among the in- 
habitants. The women hid such of their chil- 
dren as were too large to be carried, and too 
small to take care of themselves, under straw, 
and, clasping their infants to their breasts, fled 
across the prairie. The men awaited the ap- 
proach of the strangers, but evidently in great 
alarm. 

Mr. Hunt entered the lodges, and, as he was 

looking about, observed where the children were 

concealed ; their black eyes glistening hke those 

of snakes, from beneath the straw. He lifted 

23 



354 ASTORIA. 

up the covering to look at them ; the poor little 
beings were horribly frightened, and their fathers 
stood trembling, as if a beast of prey were about 
to pounce upon their brood. 

The friendly manner of Mr. Hunt soon dis- 
pelled these apprehensions ; he succeeded in 
purchasing some excellent dried salmon, and a 
dog, an animal much esteemed as food by the 
natives ; and when he returned to the river one 
of the Indians accompanied him. He now came 
to where the lodges were frequent along the 
banks, and, after a day's journey of twenty-six 
miles to the northwest, encamped in a populous 
neighborhood. Forty or fifty of the natives soon 
visited the camp, conducting themselves in a very 
amicable manner. They were well clad, and all 
had buffalo robes, which they procured from some 
of the hunting; tribes in exchancfe for salmon. 
Their habitations were very comfortable ; each 
had its pile of wormwood at the door for fuel, 
and within was abundance of salmon, some fresh, 
but the greater part cured. When the white 
men visited the lodges, however, the women and 
children hid themselves through fear. Among 
the supplies obtained here were two dogs, on 
which our travellers breakfasted, and found them 
to be very excellent, well-flavored, and hearty 
food. 

In the course of the three following days they 
made about sixty-three miles, generally in a 
northwest direction. They met with many of 
the natives in their straw-built cabins, who re- 
ceived them without alarm. About their dwell- 



ON SHORT RATIONS. 355 

ings were immense quantities of the heads and 
skins of salmon, the best part of which had been 
cured, and hidden in the ground. The women 
were badly clad ; the children woi*se ; their gar- 
ments were buffalo robes, or the skins of foxes, 
hares, and badgers, and sometimes the skins of 
ducks, sewed together, with the plumage on. 
Most of the skins must have been procured by 
traffic with other tribes, or in distant hunting 
excursions, for the naked prairies in the neigh- 
borhood afforded few animals, excepting horses, 
which were abundant. There were signs of 
buffaloes having been there, but a long time 
before. 

On the 15th of November they made twenty- 
eight miles along the river, which was entirely 
free from rapids. The shores were lined with 
dead salmon, which tainted the whole atmosphere. 
The natives whom they met spoke of Mr. Reed's 
party having passed through that neighborhood. 
In the course of the day Mr. Hunt saw a few 
horses, but the owners of them took care to 
hurry them out of the way. All the provisions 
they were able to procure, were two dogs and a 
salmon. On the following day they were still 
worse off, having to subsist on parched corn, and 
the remains of their dried meat. The river this 
day had resumed its turbulent character, forcing 
its way through a narrow channel between steep 
rocks, and down violent rapids. They made 
twenty miles over a rugged road, gradually ap- 
proaching a mountain in the northwest, covered 
with snow, which had been in sight for three 
days past. 



356 ASTORIA. 

On the 17th they met with several Indians, 
one of whom had a horse. Mr. Hunt was ex- 
tremely desirous of obtaining it as a pack-horse ; 
for the men, worn down by fatigue and hunger, 
found the loads of twenty pounds' weight which 
they had to carry, daily growing heavier and 
more galling. The Indians, however, along this 
river, were never willing to part with their 
horses, having none to spare. The owner of the 
steed in question seemed proof against all temp- 
tation ; article after article of great value in In- 
dian eyes was offered and refused. The charms 
of an old tin-kettle, however, were irresistible, 
and a bargain was concluded. 

A great joart of the following morning was 
consumed in lightening the packages of the men 
and arrano;in<y the load for the horse. At this 
encampment there was no wood for fuel, even the 
wormwood on which they had frequently de- 
pended, having disappeared. For the two last 
days they had made thirty miles to the north- 
west. 

On the 19th of November, Mr. Hunt was 
lucky enough to purchase another horse for his 
own use, giving in exchange a tomahawk, a knife, 
a fire steel, and some beads and gartering. In 
an evil hour, however, he took the advice of 
the Indians to abandon the river, and follow a 
road or trail, leading into the prairies. He soon 
had cause to regret the change. The road led 
across a dreary waste, without verdure ; and 
where there was neither fountain, nor pool, nor 
runnino; stream. The men now besfan to ex- 



A LIGHT SUPPER. S57 

perience the torments of thirst, aggravated by 
their usual diet of dried fish. The thirst of the 
Canadian voyageurs became so insupportable as 
to drive them to the most revolting means of al- 
laying it. For twenty-five miles did they toil on 
across this dismal desert, and laid themselves 
down at night, parched and disconsolate, beside 
their wormwood fires ; looking forward to still 
greater suiFerings on the following day. Fortu- 
nately it began to rain in the night, to their infin- 
ite relief; the water soon collected in puddles 
and afforded them delicious drauo-hts. 

o 

Refreshed in this manner, they resumed their 
wayfaring as soon as the first streaks of dawn 
gave light enough for them to see their path. 
The rain continued all day so that they no longer 
suffered from thirst, but hunger took its place, 
for, after travelling thirty-three miles they had 
nothing to sujd on but a little parched corn. 

The next day brought them to the banks of a 
beautiful little stream, running to the west, and 
fringed with groves of cotton-wood and willow. 
On its borders was an Indian camp, with a great 
many horses grazing around it. The inhabitants, 
too, appeared to be better clad than usual. The 
scene was altogether a cheering one to the poor 
half-famished wanderers. They hastened to their 
lodges, but on arriving at them met with a check 
that at first dampened their cheerfulness. An 
Indian immediately laid claim to the horse of Mr. 
Hunt, saying that it had been stolen from him. 
There was no disproving a fact supported by 
numerous bystanders, and which the horse-stealing 



358 ASTORIA. 

habits of the Indians rendered but too probable ; 
so Mr. Hunt relinquished his steed to the claim- 
ant ; not being able to retain him by a second 
purchase. 

At this place they encamped for the night, and 
made a sumptuous repast upon fish and a couple 
of dogs, procured from their Indian neighbors. 
The next day they kept along the river, but came 
to a halt after ten miles' march, on account of the 
rain. Here they again got a supply of fish and 
dogs from the natives ; and two of the men were 
fortunate enough each to get a horse in exchange 
for a buffalo robe. One of these men was Pierre 
Dorion, the half-breed interpreter, to whose suf- 
fering family the horse was a timely acquisition. 
And here we cannot but notice the wonderful 
patience, perseverance, and hardihood of the In- 
dian women, as exemplified in the conduct of the 
poor squaw of the interpreter. She was now 
far advanced in her pregnancy, and had two 
cliildren to take care of; one four, and the other 
two years of age. The latter of course she had 
frequently to carry on her back, in addition to 
the burden usually imposed upon the squaw, yet 
she had borne all her hardships without a mur- 
mur, and throughout this weary and painful jour- 
ney had kept pace with the best of the pedes- 
trians. Indeed on various occasions in the course 
of this enterprise, she displayed a force of char- 
acter that won the respect and applause of the 
white men. 

Mr. Hunt endeavored to gather some informa- 
tion from these Indians concerning the country, 



MR. HUNT ON HORSEFLESH. 359 

and the course of the rivers. His communica- 
tions with them had to be by signs, and a few 
words which he had learnt, and of course were 
extremely vague. All that he could learn from 
them was, that the great river, the Columbia, was 
still far distant, but he could ascertain nothing as 
to the route he ought to take to arrive at it. 
For the two following days they continued west- 
ward upwards of forty miles along the little 
stream, until they crossed it just before its junc- 
tion with Snake River, which they found still 
running to the north. Before them was a wintry- 
looking mountain covered with snow on all sides. 

In three days more they made about seventy 
miles ; fording two small rivers, the waters of 
which were very cold. Provisions were ex- 
tremely scarce ; their chief sustenance was port- 
able soup ; a meagre diet for weary pedestrians. 

On the 27th of November the river led them 
into the mountains through a rocky defile where 
there was scarcely room to pass. They were fre- 
quently obliged to unload the horses to get them 
by the narrow places ; and sometimes to wade 
through the water in getting round rocks and 
butting cliffs. All their food this day was a 
beaver which they had caught the night before ; 
by evening, the cravings of hunger were so 
sharp, and the prospect of any supply among the 
mountains so faint, that they had to kill one of 
the horses. " The men," says Mr. Hunt in his 
journal, " find the meat very good, and, indeed, 
so should I, were it not for the attachment I have 
to the animal." 



360 ASTORIA. 

Early in the following day, after proceeding 
ten miles to the north, they came to two lodges 
of Shoshonies, who seemed in nearly as great an 
extremity as themselves, having just killed two 
horses for food. They had no other provisions 
excepting the seed of a weed which they gather 
in great quantities, and pound fine. It resembles 
hemp-seed. Mr. Hunt purchased a bag of it, and 
also some small pieces of horse flesh, which he 
began to relish, pronouncing them " fat and ten- 
der." 

From these Indians he received information 
that several white men had gone down the river, 
some one side, and a good many on the other ; 
these last he concluded to be Mr. Crooks and his 
party. He was thus released from much anxiety 
about their safety, especially as the Indians spoke 
about Mr. Crooks having one of his dogs yet, 
which showed that he and his men had not been 
reduced to extremity of hunger. 

As Mr. Hunt feared that he might be several 
days in passing through this mountain defile, and 
run the risk of famine, he encamped in the neigh- 
borhood of the Indians, for the purpose of barter- 
ing with them for a horse. The evening was 
expended in ineffectual trials. He offered a gun, 
a buffalo robe, and various other articles. The 
poor fellows had, probably, like himself, the fear 
of starvation before their eyes. At length the 
women, learning the object of his pressing solici- 
tations, and tempting offers, set up such a terrible 
hue and cry, that he was fairly howled and scolded 
fi'om the ground. 



TOILSOME PROGRESS. 361 

The next morning early, the Indians seemed 
very desirous to get rid of their visitors, fear- 
ing, probably, for the safety of their horses. In 
reply to Mr. Hunt's inquiries about the moun- 
tains, they told him that he would have to sleep 
but three nights more among them ; and that six 
days' travelling would take him to the falls of the 
Columbia ; information in which he put no faith, 
believing it was only given to induce him to set 
forward. These, he was told, were the last 
Snakes he would meet with, and that he would 
soon come to a nation called Sciatogas. 

Forward then did he proceed on his tedious 
journey, which, at every step, grew iliore painful. 
The road contmued for two days, through narrow 
defiles, where they were repeatedly obliged to 
unload the horses. Sometimes the river passed 
through such rocky chasms and under such steep 
preciiDices that they had to leave it, and make 
their way, with excessive labor, over immense 
hills, almost impassable for horses. On some of 
these hills were a few pine trees, and their sum- 
mits were covered with snow. On the second 
day of this scramble one of the hunters killed a 
black -tailed deer, which afforded the half-starved 
travellers a sumptuous repast. Their progress 
these two days was twenty-eight miles, a little to 
the northward of east. 

The month of December set in drearily, with 
rain in the valleys, and snow upon the hills. 
They had to climb a mountain with snow to the 
midleg, which increased their painful toil. A 
small beaver supplied them with a scanty meal, 



362 ASTORIA. 

which they eked out with frozen blackberries, 
haws, and choke-cherries, which they found in the 
course of their scramble. Their journey this 
day, though excessively fatiguing, was but thir- 
teen miles ; and all the next day they had to 
remain encamjDcd, not being able to see half a 
mile ahead, on account of a snow-storm. Having 
nothing else to eat, they were compelled to kill 
another of their horses. The next day they 
resumed their march in snow and rain, but with 
all their efforts could only get forward nine miles, 
having for a part of the distance to unload the 
horses and carry the packs themselves. On the 
succeeding morning they were obliged to leave 
the river, and scramble up the hills. From the 
summit of these, they got a wide view of the sur- 
rounding country, and it was a prospect almost 
sufficient to make them despair. In every direc- 
tion they beheld snowy mountains, partially 
sprinkled with pines and other evergreens, and 
spreading a desert and toilsome world around 
them. The wind howled over the bleak and 
wintry landscape, and seemed to penetrate to the 
marrow of their bones. They waded on through 
the snow, which at every step was more than 
knee deep. 

After toiling in this way all day, they had the 
mortification to find that they were but four miles 
distant from the encampment of the preceding 
night, such was the meandering of the river 
among these dismal hills. Pinched with famine, 
exhausted with fatigue, with evening approaching, 
and a wintry wild still lengthening as they 



TRAVELLING IN A SNOW STORM. 363 

advanced ; they began to look forward with sad 
forebodings to the night's exposure upon this 
frightful waste. Fortunately they succeeded in 
reaching a cluster of pines about sunset. Their 
axes were immediately at work ; they cut down 
trees, piled them in great heaps, and soon had 
huge fires "'to cheer their cold and hungry 
hearts." 

About three o'clock in the morning it again 
began to snow, and at daybreak they found them- 
selves, as it were, in a cloud ; scarcely being 
able to distinguish objects at the distance of a 
hundred yards. Guiding themselves by the sound 
of running water, they set out for the river, and 
by slipping and sHding contrived to get down to 
its bank. One of the horses, missing his footing, 
rolled down several hundred yards with his load, 
but sustained no injury. The weather in the 
'valley was less rigorous than on the hills. The 
snow lay but ankle deep, and there was a quiet 
rain now falling. After creeping along for six 
miles, they encamped on the border of the river. 
Being utterly destitute of provisions, they were 
again compelled to kill one of their horses to 
appease their famishing hunger. 





CHAPTER XXXV. 

HE wanderers had now accomplished 
four hundred and seventy-two miles of 
their dreary journey since leaving the 
Caldron Linn, how much further they had yet to 
travel, and what hardships to encounter, no one 
knew. 

On the morning of the 6th of December, they 
left their dismal encampment, but had scarcely 
begun their march, when, to their surprise, they 
beheld a party of white men coming up along the 
opposite bank of the river. As they drew nearer, 
they were recognized for Mr. Crooks and his 
companions. When they came opposite, and 
could make themselves heard across the murmur- 
ing of the river, their first cry was for food ; in 
fact, they were almost starved. Mr. Hunt im- 
mediately returned to the camp, and had a kind 
of canoe made out of the skin of the horse, killed 
on the preceding night. This was done after the 
Indian fashion, by drawing up the edges of the 
skin with thongs, and keeping them distended by 
sticks or thwart pieces. In this frail bark, Sar- 
depie, one of the Canadians, carried over a por- 
tion of the flesh of the horse to the famishing 
party on the opposite side of the river, and 
brought back with him Mr. Crooks, and the 



SUFFERINGS OF MR. CROOK'S PARTY. 365 

Canadian, Le Clerc. The forlorn and wasted 
looks, and starving condition of these two men, 
struck dismay to the hearts of Mr. Hunt's follow- 
ers. They had been accustomed to each other's 
appearance, and to the gradual operation of 
hunger and hardship upon their frames, but the 
change in the looks of these men, since last they 
parted, was a type of the famine and desolation 
of the land ; and they now began to indulge the 
horrible presentiment that they would all starve 
together, or be reduced to the direful alternative 
of casting lots ! 

When Mr. Crooks had appeased his hunger, 
he gave Mr. Hunt some account of his wayfaring. 
On the side of the river, along which he had 
kept, he had met with but few Indians, and those 
were too miserably poor to yield much assistance. 
Fof the first eighteen days after leaving the 
Caldron Linn, he and his men had been confined 
to half a meal in twenty-four hours ; for three 
days following, they had subsisted on a single 
beaver, a few wild cherries, and the soles of old 
moccasins ; and for the last six days, their only 
animal food had been the carcass of a dog. They 
had been three days' journey further down the 
river than Mr. Hunt, always keeping as near to 
its banks as possible, and frequently climbing over 
sharp and rocky ridges that projected into the 
stream. At length they had arrived to where 
the mountains increased in height, and came 
closer to the river, with perpendicular precipices, 
which rendered it impossible to keep along the 
stream. The river here rushed with incredible 



366 ASTORIA. 

velocity through a defile not more than thirty- 
yards wide, where cascades and rapids succeeded 
each other almost without intermission. Even 
had the opposite banks, therefore, been such as to 
permit a continuance of their journey, it would 
have been madness to attempt to pass the tu- 
multuous current, either on rafts or otherwise. 
Still bent, however, on pushing forward, they at- 
tempted to climb the opposing mountains ; and 
struggled on through the snow for half a day 
until, coming to where they could command a 
prospect, they found that they were not half way 
to the summit, and that mountain upon mountain 
lay piled beyond them, in wintry desolation. 
Famished and emaciated as they were, to con- 
tinue forward would be to perish ; their only 
chance seemed to be to regain the river, and 
retrace their steps up its banks. It was in this 
forlorn and retrograde march that they had met 
Mr. Hunt and his party. 

Mr. Crooks also gave information of some 
others of their fellow adventurers. He had 
spoken several days previously with Mr. Reed 
and Mr. M'Kenzie, who with their men were on 
the opposite side of the river, where it was im- 
possible to get over to them. They informed 
him that Mr. M'Lellan had struck across from 
the little river above the mountains, in the hope 
of falling in with some of the tribe of Flatheads, 
who inhabit the western skirts of the Rocky 
range. As the companions of Reed and M'Ken- 
zie were picked men, and had found provisions 
more abundant on their side of the river, they 



INSURMOUNTABLE DIFFICULTIES. 367 

were in better condition, and more fitted to eon- 
tend with the difficulties of the country, than 
those of Mr. Cooks, and when he lost sight of 
them, were pushing onward, down the course of 
the river. 

Mr. Hunt took a night to revolve over his 
critical situation, and to determine what was to 
be done. No time was to be lost ; he had twenty 
men and more, in his own party, to provide for, 
and Mr. Crooks and his men to relieve. To 
linger would be to starve. The idea of retracing 
his steps was intolerable, and, notwithstanding all 
the discouraging accounts of the ruggedness of 
the mountains lower down the river, he would 
have been disposed to attempt them, but the 
depth of the snow with which they were covered 
deterred him; having already experienced the 
impossibility of forcing his way against such an 
impediment. 

The only alternative, therefore, appeared to 
be, to return and seek the Indian bands scattered 
along the small rivers above the mountains. 
Perhaps, from some of these he might procure 
horses enough to support him until he could 
reach the Columbia ; for he still cherished the 
hope of arriving at that river in the course of the 
winter, though he was apprehensive that few of 
Mr. Crooks' party would be sufficiently strong to 
follow him. Even in adopting this course, he 
had to make up his mind to the certainty of sev- 
eral days of famine at the outset, for it would 
take that time to reach the last Indian lodges 
from which he had parted, and until they should 



368 ASTORIA. 

arrive there, his people would have nothing to 
subsist upon but haws and wild berries, except- 
ing one miserable horse, which was little better 
than skin and bone. 

After a night of sleepless cogitation, Mr. Hunt 
announced to his men the dreary alternative he 
had adopted, and preparations were made to take 
Mr. Crooks and Le Clerc across the river, with 
the remainder of the meat, as the other party 
were to keep up along the opposite bank. The 
skin canoe had unfortunately been lost in the 
night ; a raft was constructed therefore, after the 
manner of the natives, of bundles of willows, but 
it could not be floated across the impetuous cur- 
rent. The men were directed, in consequence, 
to keep on along the river by themselves, while 
Mr. Crooks and Le Clerc would proceed with 
Mr. Hunt. They all, then, took up their retro- 
grade march with drooping spirits. 

In a little while, it was found that Mr. Crooks 
and Le Clerc were so feeble as to walk with 
difficulty, so that Mr. Hunt was obliged to retard 
his pace, that they might keep up with him. 
His men grew impatient at the delay. They " 
murmured that they had a long and desolate 
region to traverse, before they could arrive at 
the point where they might expect to find horses ; 
that it was impossible for Crooks and Le Clerc, 
in their feeble condition, to get over it ; that to 
remain with them would only be to starve in 
their company. They importuned Mr. Hunt, 
therefore, to leave these unfortunate men to their 
fate, and think only of the safety of himself and 



.VE. CROOKS AND LE CLERC LEFT. 369 

his party. Finding him not to be moved either 
by entreaties or their clamors, they began to 
proceed without him, singly and in parties. 
Among those who thus went off was Pierre 
Dorion, the interpreter. Pierre owned the only 
remaining horse ; which was now a mere skel- 
eton. Mr. Hunt had suggested, in their present 
extremity, that it should be killed for food ; to 
which the half-breed flatly refused his assent, 
and cudgelino: the miserable animal forward, 
pushed on sullenly, with the air of a man dog- 
gedly determined to quarrel for his right. In 
this way Mr. Hunt saw his men, one after 
another, break away, until but five remained to 
bear him company. 

On the following morning, another raft was 
made, on which Mr. Crooks and Le Clerc again 
attempted to ferry themselves across the river, 
but after repeated trials had to give up in 
despair. This caused additional delay ; after 
which they continued to crawl forward at a 
snail's pace. Some of the men who had remained 
with Mr. Hunt now became impatient of these 
incumbrances, and urged him clamorously to 
push forward, crying out that they should all 
starve. The night which succeeded was intensely 
cold, so that one of the men was severely frost- 
bitten. In the course of the night, Mr. Crooks 
was taken ill, and in the morning was still more 
incompetent to travel. Their situation was now 
desperate, for their stock of provisions ' was re- 
duced to three beaver skins. Mr. Hunt, there- 
fore, resolved to push on, overtake his people, and 
24 



370 



ASTORIA. 



insist upon having the horse of Pierre Dorion 
sacrificed for the relief of all hands. Accord- 
ingly, he left two of his men to help Crooks and 
Le Clerc on their way, giving them two of the 
beaVer skins for their support ; the remaining 
skin he retained, as provision for himself and the 
three other men who struck forward with him. 




CHAPTER XXXVI. 




LL that day, Mr. Hunt and his three 
comrades travelled without eating. At 
night they made a tantalizing supper 
on their beaver skin, and were nearly exhausted 
by hunger and cold. The next day, December 
10th, they overtook the advance party, who were 
all as much famished as themselves, some of 
them not having eaten since the morning of the 
seventh. Mr. Hunt now proposed the sacrifice 
of Pierre Dorion's skeleton horse. Here he 
again met with positive and vehement opposition 
from the half-breed, who was too sullen and vin- 
dictive a fellow to be easily dealt with. What 
was singular, the men, though suflfering such 
pinching hunger, interfered in favor of the 
horse. They represented, that it was better to 
keep on as long as possible without resorting to 
this last resource. Possibly the Indians, of 
whom they were in quest, might have shifted 
their encampment in which case it would be 
time enough to kill the horse to escape starva- 
tion. Mr. Hunt, therefore, was prevailed upon 
to grant Pierre Dorion's horse a reprieve. 

Fortunately, they had not proceeded much 
further, when, towards evening, they came in 
sight of a lodge of Shoshonies, with a number 



372 ASTORIA. 

of horses grazing around it. The sight was as 
unexpected as it was joyous, Having seen no In- 
dians in this neighborhood as they passed down 
the river, they must have subsequently come 
out from among the mountains. Mr. Hunt, who 
first descried them, checked the eagerness of his 
companions, knowing the unwillingness of these 
Indians to part with their horses, and their apt- 
ness to hurry them off and conceal them, in case 
of an alarm. This was no time to risk such a 
disappointment. Approaching, therefore, stealth- 
ily and silently, they came upon the savages by 
surprise, who fled in terror. Five of their 
horses were eagerly seized, and one was dis- 
patched upon the spot. The carcass was imme- 
diately cut up, and a part of it hastily cooked 
and ravenously devoured. A man was now sent 
on horseback with a supply of the flesh to Mr. 
Crooks and his companions. He reached them 
in the night ; they were so famished that the 
supply sent them seemed but to aggravate their 
hunger, and they were almost tempted to kill 
and eat the horse that had brought the messen- 
ger. Availing themselves of the assistance of 
the animal, they reached the camp early in the 
morning. 

On arriving there, Mr. Crooks was shocked to 
find that, while the people on this side of the 
river were amply supplied with provisions, none 
had been sent to his own forlorn and famishing 
men on the opposite bank. He immediately 
caused a skin canoe to be constructed, and called 
out to his men to fill their camp-kettles with 



EFFECT OF FAMINE ON THE PARTY. 373 

water and hang them over the fire, that no time 
might be lost in cooking the meat the moment it 
should be received. The river was so narrow, 
though deep, that everything could be distinctly 
heard and seen across it. The kettles were 
placed on the fire, and the water was boiling by 
the time the canoe was completed. When all 
was ready, however, no one would undertake to 
ferry the meat across. A vague and almost 
superstitious terror had infected the minds of 
Mr. Hunt's followers, enfeebled and rendered 
imaginative of horrors by the dismal scenes and 
sufferings through which they had passed. They 
regarded the haggard crew, hovering like spectres 
of famine on the opposite bank, with indefinite 
feelings of awe and apprehension : as if some- 
thing desperate and dangerous was to be feared 
from them. 

Mr. Crooks tried in vain to reason or shame 
them out of this singular state of mind. He 
then attempted to navigate the canoe himself, 
but found his strength incompetent to brave the 
impetuous current. The good feelings of Ben 
Jones, the Kentuckian, at length overcame his 
fears, and he ventured over. The supply he 
brought was received with trembling avidity. 
A poor Canadian, however, named Jean Baptiste 
Prevost, whom famine had rendered wild and 
desperate, ran frantically about the bank, after 
Jones had returned, crying out to Mr. Hunt to 
send the canoe for him, and take him from that 
horrible region of famine, declaring that other- 
wise he would never march another step, but 
would lie down there and die. 



874 ASTORIA. 

The canoe was shortly sent over again, under 
the management of Joseph Delauny, with further 
supplies. Prevost immediately pressed forward 
to embark. Delaunay refused to admit him, 
telling him that there was now a sufficient supply 
of meat on his side of the river. He replied 
that it was not cooked, and he should starve be- 
fore it was ready ; he implored, therefore, to be 
taken where he could get something to appease 
his hunger immediately. Finding the canoe 
putting off without him, he forced himself 
aboard. As he drew near the opposite shore, 
and beheld meat roasting before the fire, he 
jumped up, shouted, clapped his hands, and 
danced in a delirium of joy, until he upset the 
canoe. The poor wretch was swept away by 
the current and drowned, and it was with ex- 
treme difficulty that Delaunay reached the shore. 

Mr. Hunt now sent all his men forward ex- 
cepting two or three. In the evening he caused 
another horse to be killed, and a canoe to be 
made out of the skin, in which he sent over a 
further supply of meat to the opposite party. 
The canoe brought back John Day, the Kentucky 
hunter, who came to join his former employer 
and commander, Mr. Crooks. Poor Day, once 
so active and vigorous, was now reduced to a 
condition even more feeble and emaciated than 
his companions. Mr. Crooks had such a value 
for the man, on account of his past services and 
faithful character, that he determined not to quit 
him ; he exhorted Mr. Hunt, however, to pro- 
ceed forward, and join the party, as his presence 



EMERGING FROM THE MOUNTAINS. 375 

was all important to the conduct of the expedi- 
tion. One of the Canadians, Jean Baptiste Du- 
breuil, likewise remained with Mr. Crooks. 

Mr. Hunt left two horses with them, and a 
part of the carcass of the last that had been 
killed. This, he hoped, would be sufficient to 
sustain them until they should reach the Indian 
encampment. 

One of the chief dangers attending the en- 
feebled condition of Mr. Crooks and his compan- 
ions, was their being overtaken by the Indians 
whose horses had been seized : though Mr. Hunt 
hoped that he had guarded against any resentment 
on the part of the savages, by leaving various 
articles in their lodge, more than sufficient to 
compensate for the outrage he had been compelled 
to commit. 

Resuming his onward course, Mr. Hunt came 
up with his people in the evening. The next 
day, December 13th, he beheld several Indians, 
with three horses, on the opposite side of the 
river, and after a time came to the two lodges 
which he had seen on going down. Here he 
endeavored in vain to barter a rifle for a horse, 
but again succeeded in effecting the purchase 
with an old tin kettle, aided by a few beads. 

The two succeeding days were cold and 
stormy ; the snow was augmenting, and there 
was a good deal of ice running in the river. 
Their road, however, was becoming easier ; they 
were getting out of the hills, and finally emerged 
into the open country, after twenty days of fa- 
tigue, famine, and hardship of every kind, in the 



376 ASTORIA. 

ineffectual attempt to find a passage down the 
river. 

They now encamped on a little willowed 
stream, running from the east, which they had 
crossed on the 26th of November. Here they 
found a dozen lodges of Shoshonies, recently 
arrived, who informed them that had they per- 
severed along the river, they would have found 
their difficulties augment until they became 
absolutely insurmountable. This intelligence 
added to the anxiety of Mr. Hunt for the fate 
of Mr. M'Kenzie and his people, who had 
kept on. 

Mr. Hunt now followed up the little river, 
and encamped at some lodges of Shoshonies, 
from whom he procured a couple of horses, a 
dog, a few dried fish, and some roots and dried 
cherries. Two or three days were exhausted in 
obtaining information about the route, and what 
time it would take to get to the Sciatogas, a hos- 
pitable tribe, on the west of the mountains, re- 
presented as having many horses. The replies 
were various, but concurred in saying that the 
distance was great, and would occupy from 
seventeen to twenty-one nights. Mr. Hunt then 
tried to procure a guide ; but though he sent to 
various lodges up and down the river, offering 
articles of great value in Indian estimation, no 
one would venture. The snow, they said, was 
waist deep in the mountains ; and to all his 
offers they shook their heads, gave a shiver, and 
replied, " we shall freeze ! we shall freeze ! " at 
the same time they urged him to remain and pass 
the winter among them. 



".4 FORKED TONGUEy Zll 

Mr. Hunt was in a dismal dilemma. To at- 
tempt the mountains without a guide, would be 
certain death to him and all his people ; to re- 
main there, after having already been so long on 
the journey, and at such great expense, was 
worse to him, he said, than two " deaths." He 
now changed his tone with the Indians, charged 
them with deceiving him in respect to the moun- 
tains, and talking with a " forked tongue," or, in 
other words, with lying. He upbraided them 
with their want of courage, and told them they 
were women, to shrink from the perils of such a 
journey. At length one of them, piqued by his 
taunts, or tempted by his offers, agreed to be his 
guide ; for which he was to receive a gun, a 
pistol, three knives, two horses, and a little of 
every article in possession of the party ; a re- 
ward sufficient to make him one of the wealthiest 
of his vagabond nation. 

Once more, then, on the 21st of December, 
they set out upon their wayfaring, with newly 
excited spirits. Two other Indians accompanied 
their guide, who led them immediately back to 
Snake River, which they followed down for a 
short distance, in search of some Indian rafts 
made of reeds, on which they might cross. Find- 
ing none, Mr. Hunt caused a horse to be killed, 
and a canoe to be made out of its skin. Here, 
on the opposite bank, they saw the thirteen men 
of Mr. Crook's party, who had continued up along 
the river. They told Mr. Hunt, across the 
stream, that they had not seen Mr. Crooks, and 
the two men who had remained with him, since 
the day that he had separated from them. 



378 ASTORIA. 

The canoe proving too small, another horse 
was killed, and the skin of it joined to that of the 
first. Night came on before the little bark had 
made more than two voyages. Being badly made 
it was taken apart and put together again, by the 
light of the fire. The night was cold ; the men 
were weary and disheartened with such varied 
and incessant toil and hardship. They crouched, 
dull and drooping, around their fires ; many of 
them began to express a wish to remain where 
they were for the winter. The very necessity 
of crossing the river dismayed some of them in 
their present enfeebled and dejected state. It 
was rapid and turbulent, and filled with floating 
ice, and they remembered that two of their com- 
rades had already perished in its waters. Others 
looked forward with misgivings to the long and 
dismal journey through lonesome regions that 
awaited them, when they should have passed this 
dreary flood. 

At an early hour of the morning, December 
23d, they began to cross the river. Much ice 
had formed during the night, and they were 
obliged to break it for some distance on each 
shore. At length they all got over in safety to 
the west side ; and their spirits rose on having 
achieved this perilous passage. Here they were 
rejoined by the people of Mr. Crooks, who had 
with them a horse and a dog, which they had 
recently procured. The poor fellows were in the 
most squalid and emaciated state. Three of 
them were so completely prostrated in strength 
and spirits, that they expressed a wish to remain 



''THE ACCURSED MAD RIVERA 379 

among the Snakes. Mr. Hunt, therefore, gave 
them the canoe, that they might cross the river, 
and a few articles, with which to procure neces- 
saries, until they should meet with Mr. Crooks. 
There was another man, named Michael Carriere, 
who was almost equally reduced, but he deter- 
mined to proceed with his comrades, who were 
now incorporated with the party of Mr. Hunt. 
After the day's exertions they encamped together 
on the banks of the river. This was the last 
night they were to spend upon its borders. More 
than eight hundred miles of hard travelling, and 
many weary days, had it cost them ; and the 
sufferings connected with it rendered it hateful 
in their remembrance, so that the Canadian voy- 
ageurs always spoke of it as " La maudite riviere 
enragee " — the accursed mad river — thus coup- 
ling a malediction with its name. 




CHAPTER XXXVII. 




N the 24th of December, all things being 
arranged, Mr. Hunt turned his back 
^J upon the disastrous banks of Snake 
River, and struck his course westward for the 
mountains. His party being augmented by the 
late followers of Mr. Crooks, amounted now to 
thirty-two white men, three Indians, and the 
squaw and two children of Pierre Dorion. Five 
jaded, half-starved horses were laden with their 
luggage, and, in case of need, were to furnish 
them with provisions. They travelled painfully 
about fourteen miles a day, over plains and 
among hills, rendered dreary by occasional falls 
of snow and rain. Their only sustenance was a 
scanty meal of horseflesh once in four-and-twenty 
hours. 

On the third day the poor Canadian, Carriere, 
one of the famished party of Mr. Crooks, gave up 
in despair, and lying down upon the ground de- 
clared he could go no further. Efforts were 
made to cheer him up, but it was found that the 
poor fellow was absolutely exhausted and could 
not keep on his legs. He was mounted, there- 
fore, upon one of the horses, though the forlorn 
animal was in little better plight than himself. 

On the 28th, they came upon a small strea n 



A SMALL ADDITION. 381 

winding to the north, through a fine level valley ; 
the mountains receding on each side. Here 
their Indian friends pointed out a chain of woody 
mountains to the left, running north and south, 
and covered with snow ; over which they would 
have to pass. They kept along the valley for 
twenty-one miles on the 29th, suffering much 
from a continued fall of snow and rain, and being 
twice obliged to ford the icy stream. Early in 
the following morning the squaw of Pierre Do- 
rion, who had hitherto kept on without murmur- 
ing or flinching, was suddenly taken in labor, and 
enriched her husband with another child. As the 
fortitude and good conduct of the poor woman 
had gained for her the good-will of the party, 
her situation caused concern and perplexity. 
Pierre, however, treated the matter as an occur- 
rence that could soon be arranged and need 
cause no delay. He remained by his wife in the 
camp, with his other children and his horse, and 
promised soon to rejoin the main body, who pro- 
ceeded on their march. 

Finding that the little river entered the moun- 
tains, they abandoned it, and turned off for a few 
miles among hills. Here another Canadian, 
named La Bonte, gave out, and had to be helped 
on horseback. As the horse was too weak to 
bear both him and his pack, Mr. Hunt took 
the latter upon his own shoulders. Thus, with 
difficulties augmenting at every step, they urged 
their toilsome way among the hills, half famished 
and famt at heart, when they came to where a 
fair valley spread out before them, of great ex- 



382 ASTORIA. 

tent and several leagues in width, with a beau- 
tiful stream meandering through it. A genial 
climate seemed to prevail here, for though the 
snow lay upon all the mountains within sight, 
there was none to be seen in the valley. The 
travellers gazed with delight upon this serene, 
sunny landscape, but their joy was complete on 
beholding six lodges of Shoshonies pitched upon 
the borders of the stream, with a number of 
horses and dogs about them. They all pressed 
forward with eagerness and soon reached the 
camp. Here their first attention was to obtain 
provisions. A rifle, an old musket, a tomahawk, 
a tin kettle, and a small quantity of ammunition, 
soon procured them four horses, three dogs, and 
some roots. Part of the live stock was immedi- 
ately killed, cooked with all expedition, and as 
promptly devoured. A hearty meal restored 
every one to good spirits. In the course of the 
following morning the Dorion family made its 
reappearance. Pierre came trudging in the ad- 
vance, followed by his valued, though skeleton 
steed, on which was mounted his squaw with the 
new-born infant in her arms, and her boy of two 
years old wrapped in a blanket and slung at her 
side. The mother looked as unconcerned as if 
nothing had happened to her ; so easy is nature 
in her operations in the wilderness, when free 
from the enfeebling refinements of luxury, and 
the tamperings and appliances of art. 

The next morning ushered in the new year 
(1812). Mr. Hunt was about to resume his 
march, when his men requested permission to 



THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS. 383 

celebrate the day. This was particularly urged 
by the Canadian voyageurs, with whom New- 
Year's day is a favorite festival ; and who never 
willingly give up a holiday, under any circum- 
stances. There was no resisting such an appli- 
cation ; so the day was passed in repose and rev- 
elry ; the poor Canadians contrived to sing and 
dance in defiance of all their hardships ; and 
there was a sumptuous New- Year's banquet of 
dog's meat and horse flesh. 

After- two days of welcome rest, the travellers 
addressed themselves once more to their painful 
journey. The Indians of the lodges pointed out 
a distant gap through which they must pass in 
traversing the ridge of mountains. They assured 
them that they would be but little incommoded 
by snow, and in three days would arrive among 
the Sciatogas. Mr. Hunt, however, had been so 
frequently deceived by Indian accounts of routes 
and distances, that he gave but little faith to this 
information. 

The travellers continued their course due west 
for five days, crossing the valley and entering the 
mountains. Here the travelling became exces- 
sively toilsome, across rough stony ridges, and 
amidst fallen trees. They were often knee deep 
in snow, and sometimes in the hollows between 
the ridges sank up to their waists. The weather 
was extremely cold ; the sky covered with clouds 
so that for days they had not a glimpse of the 
sun. In traversing the highest ridge they had a 
wide but chilling prospect over a wilderness of 
snowy mountains. 



384 ASTORIA. 

On the 6th of January, however, they had 
crossed the dividing summit of the chain, and 
were evidently under the influence of a milder 
climate. The snow began to decrease ; the sun 
once more emerged from the thick canopy of 
clouds, and shone cheeringly upon them, and 
they caught a sight of what appeared to be a 
plain, stretching out in the west. They hailed it 
as the poor Israelites hailed the first glimpse of 
the promised land, for they flattered themselves 
that this might be the great plain of the Colum- 
bia, and that their painful pilgrimage might be 
drawing to a close. 

It was now five days since they had left the 
lodges of the Shoshonies, during which they had 
come about sixty miles, and their guide assured 
them that in the course of the next day they 
would see the Sciatogas. 

On the following morning, therefore, they 
pushed forward with eagerness, and soon fell 
upon a small stream which led them through a 
deep narrow defile, between stupendous ridges. 
Here among the rocks and precipices they saw 
gangs of that mountain-loving animal, the black- 
tailed deer, and came to where great tracks of 
horses were to be seen in all directions, made by 
the Indian hunters. 

The snow had entirely disappeared, and the 
hopes of soon coming upon some Indian encamp- 
ment induced Mr. Hunt to press on. Many of 
the men, however, were so enfeebled that they 
could not keep up with the main body, but lagged 
at intervals behind ; and some of them did not 



ARRIVAL AMONG THE SCIATOGAS. 385 

arrive at the night encampment. In the course 
of this day's march the recently-born child of 
Pierre Dorion died. 

The march was resumed early the next morn- 
ing, without waiting for the stragglers. The 
stream which they had followed throughout the 
preceding day was now swollen by the influx of 
another river ; the declivities of the hills were 
green and the valleys were clothed with grass. 
At length the jovial cry was given of " an Indian 
camp ! " It was yet in the distance, in the 
bosom of the green valley, but they could per- 
ceive that it consisted of numerous lodges, and 
that hundreds of horses were grazing the grassy 
meadows around it. The prospect of abundance 
of horse flesh diffused universal joy, for by this 
time the whole stock of travelling provisions was 
reduced to the skeleton steed of Pierre Dorion, 
and another wretched animal, equally emaciated, 
that had been repeatedly reprieved during the 
journey. 

A forced march soon brought the weary and 
hungry travellers to the camp. It proved to be 
a strong party of Sciatogas and Tus-che-pas. 
There were thirty-four lodges, comfortably con- 
structed of mats ; the Indians, too, were better 
clothed than any of the wandering bands they 
had hitherto met on this side of the Rocky 
Mountains. Indeed they were as well clad as 
the generality of the wild hunter tribes. Each 
had a good buffalo or deer skin robe ; and a deer 
skin hunting shirt and leggins. Upwards of two 
thousand horses were ranging the pastures around 
25 



386 ASTORIA. 

their encampment ; but what delighted Mr. Hunt 
was, on entering the lodges, to behold brass ket- 
tles, axes, copper tea-kettles, and various other 
articles of civilized manufacture, which showed 
that these Indians had an indirect communication 
with the people of the sea-coast who traded with 
the whites. He made eager inquiries of the 
Sciatogas, and gathered from them that the great 
river (the Columbia) was but two days' march 
distant, and that several white people had re- 
cently descended it ; who he hoped might prove 
to be M'Lellan, M'Kenzie, and their companions. 

It was with the utmost joy and the most pro- 
found gratitude to heaven, that Mr. Hunt found 
himself and his band of weary and famishing 
wanderers thus safely extricated from the most 
perilous part of their long journey, and within 
the prospect of a termination of their toils. All 
the stragglers who had lagged behind arrived, 
one after another, excepting the poor Canadian 
voyageur, Carriere. He had been seen late in 
the preceding afternoon, riding behind a Snake 
Indian, near some lodges of that nation, a few 
miles distant from the last night's encampment ; 
and it was expected that he would soon make his 
appearance. 

The first object of Mr. Hunt was to obtain 
provisions for his men. A little venison of an 
indifferent quality, and some roots were all that 
could be procured that evening ; but the next 
day he succeeded in purchasing a mare and colt, 
which were immediately killed, and the cravings 
of the half-starved people in some degree ap- 
peased. 



HABITS OF THE S CI AT GAS. 387 

For several days they remained in the neigh- 
borhood of these Indians, reposing after all their 
hardships, and feasting upon horse flesh and roots, 
obtained in subsequent traffic. Many of the 
people ate to such excess as to render themselves 
sick, others were lame from their past journey ; 
but all gradually recruited in the repose and 
abundance of the valley. Horses were obtained 
here much more readily, and at a cheaper rate, 
than among the Snakes. A blanket, a knife, or 
a half pound of blue beads would purchase a 
steed, and at this rate many of the men bought 
horses for their individual use. 

This tribe of Indians, who are represented as 
a proud-spirited race, and uncommonly cleanly, 
never eat horses or dogs, nor would they permit 
the raw flesh of either to be brought into their 
huts. They had a small quantity of vension in 
each lodge, but set so high a price upon it that the 
white men, in their impoverished state, could not 
afford to purchase it. They hunted the deer on 
horseback ; " ringing," or surrounding them, and 
running them down in a circle. They were 
admirable horsemen, and their weapons were 
bows and arrows, which they managed with great 
dexterity. They were altogether primitive in 
their habits, and seemed to cling to the usages 
of savage life, even when possessed of the aids of 
civilization. They had axes among them, yet 
they generally made use of a stone mallet 
wrought into the shape of a bottle and wedges of 
elk horn, in splitting their wood. Though they 
might have two or three brass kettles hansjing in 



388 ASTORIA. 

their lodges, yet they would frequently use vessels 
made of willow, for carrying water, and would 
even boil their meat in them, by means of hot 
stones. Their women wore caps of willow neatly 
worked and figured. 

As Carriere, the Canadian straggler, did not 
make his appearance for two or three days after 
the encampment in the valley, two men were 
sent out on horseback in search of him. They 
returned, however, without success. The lodges 
of the Snake Indians near which he had been 
seen were removed, and they could find no trace 
of him. Several days more elapsed, yet nothing 
was seen or heard of him, or of the Snake horse- 
man, behind whom he had been last observed. 
It was feared, therefore, that he had either 
perished through hunger and fatigue; had been 
murdered by the Indians ; or, being left to him- 
self, had mistaken some hunting tracks for the 
trail of the party, and been led astray and lost. 

The river on the banks of which they were 
encamped, emptied into the Columbia, was called 
by the natives the Eu-o-tal-la, or Umatalla, and 
abounded with beaver. In the course of their 
sojourn in the valley which it watered, they twice 
shifted their camp, proceeding about thirty miles 
down its course, which was to the west. A 
heavy fall of rain caused the river to overflow its 
banks, dislodged them from their encampment, 
and drowned three of their horses, which were 
tethered in the low ground. 

Further conversation with the Indians satisfied 
them that they were in the neighborhood of the 



THE COLUJIBTA RIVER, 389 

Columbia. The number of the white men who 
they said had passed down the river, agreed 
with that of M'Lellan, M'Kenzie. and their com- 
panions, and increased the hope of Mr. Hunt that 
they might have passed through the wilderness 
with safety. 

These Indians had a vague story that white 
men were coming to trade among them ; and 
they often spoke of two great men named Ke- 
Koosh and Jacquean, who gave them tobacco, 
and smoked with them. Jacquean, they said, 
had a house somewhere upon the great river. 
Some of the Canadians supposed they were 
speaking of one Jacquean Finlay, a clerk of the 
Northwest Company, and inferred that the house 
must be some trading post on one of the tributary 
streams of the Columbia. The Indians were 
overjoyed when they found this band of white 
men intended to return and trade with them, 
They promised to use all diligence in collecting 
quantities of beaver skins, and no doubt proceeded 
to make deadly war upon that sagacious, but 
ill-fated animal, who, in general, lived in peace- 
ful insignificance among his Indian neighbors, 
before the intrusion of the white trader. On the 
the 20th of January, Mr. Hunt took leave of 
these friendly Indians, and of the river on which 
they encamped, and continued westward. 

At length, on the following day, the wayworn 
travellers lifted up their eyes and beheld before 
them the long-sought waters of the Columbia. 
The sight was hailed with as much transport as 
if they had already reached the end of their pil- 



390 ASTORIA. 

grimage ; nor can we wonder at their joy. Two 
hundred and forty miles had they marched, 
through wintry wastes and rugged mountains, 
since leaving Snake River ; and six months of 
perilous wayfaring had they experienced since 
their departure from the Arickara village on the 
Missouri. Their whole route by land and water 
from that point had been, according to their com- 
putation, seventeen hundred and fifty-one miles, 
in the course of which they had endured all kinds 
of hardships. In fact, the necessity of avoiding 
the dangerous country of the Blackfeet had 
obliged them to make a bend to the south and 
traverse a great additional extent of unknown 
wilderness. 

The place where they struck the Columbia 
was some distance below the junction of its two 
great branches, Lewis and Clarke rivers, and not 
far from the influx of the Wallah- Wallah. It 
was a beautiful stream, three-quarters of a mile 
wide, totally free from trees ; bordered in some 
places with steep rocks, in others with pebbled 
shores. 

On the banks of the Columbia they found a 
miserable horde of Indians, called Akai-chies, 
with no clothing but a scanty mantle of the skins 
of animals, and sometimes a pair of sleeves of 
wolfs skin. Their lodges were shaped like a 
tent, and very light and warm, being covered 
with mats of rushes ; beside which they had ex- 
cavations in the ground, lined with mats, and 
occupied by the women, who were even more 
slightly clad than the men. These people sub- 



CEOS SING THE COLUMBIA. 391 

sisted chiefly by fishing ; having canoes of a rude 
construction, being merely the trunks of pine 
trees split and hollowed out by fire. Their 
lodges were well stored with dried salmon, and 
they had great quantities of fresh salmon trout of 
an excellent flavor, taken at the mouth of the 
Umatalla ; of which the travellers obtained a 
most acceptable supply. 

Finding that the road was on the north side of 
the river, Mr. Hunt crossed, and continued five 
or six days travelling rather slowly down along 
its banks, being much delayed by the straying of 
the horses, and the attempts made by the Indians 
to steal them. They frequently passed lodges, 
where they obtained fish and dogs. At one 
place the natives had just returned from hunting, 
and had brought back a large quantity of elk and 
deer meat, but asked so high a price for it as to 
be beyond the funds of the travellers, so they had 
to content themselves with dog's flesh. They had 
by this time, however, come to consider it very 
choice food, superior to horse flesh, and the min- 
utes of the expedition speak rather exultingly 
now and then, of their having made a " famous 
repast," where this viand happened to be unus- 
ually plenty. 

They again learnt tidings of some of the 
scattered members of the expedition, supposed to 
be M'Kenzie, M'Lellan, and their men, who had 
preceded them down the river, and had over- 
turned one of their canoes, by which they lost 
many articles. All these floating pieces of intel- 
ligence of their fellow adventurers, w4io had 



392 ASTORIA. 

separated from them in the heart of the wilder- 
ness, they received \tith eager interest. 

The weather continued to be temperate, 
marking the superior softness of the climate on 
this side of the mountains. For a great part of 
the time, the days were delightfully mild and 
clear, like the serene days of October on the 
Atlantic borders. The country in general, in the 
neighborhood of the river, was a continual plain, 
low near the water, but rising gradually ; desti- 
tute of trees, and almost without shrubs or plants 
of any kind, excepting a few willow bushes. 
After travelling about sixty miles, they came to 
where the country became very hilly and the 
river made its way between rocky banks, and 
down numerous rapids. The Indians in this 
vicinity were better clad and altogether in more 
prosperous condition than those above, and, as 
Mr. Hunt thought, showed their consciousness of 
ease by something like sauciness of manner. 
Thus prosperity is apt to produce arrogance in 
savage as well as in civilized life. In both 
conditions, man is an animal that will not bear 
pampering. 

From these people Mr. Hunt for the first 
time received vague, but deeply interesting intel- 
ligence of that part of the enterprise which had 
proceeded by sea to the mouth of the Columbia. 
The Indians spoke of a number of white men 
who had built a large house at the mouth of the 
great river, and surrounded it with palisades. 
None of them had been down to Astoria them- 
selves ; but rumors spread widely and rapidly 



FALLS OF THE COLUMBIA. 393 

from mouth to mouth among the Indian tribes, 
and are carried to the heart of the interior by 
hunting parties and migratory hordes. 

The estabhshment of a trading emporium at 
such a point, also, was calculated to cause a 
sensation to the most remote parts of the vast 
wilderness beyond the mountains. It in a man- 
ner struck the pulse of the great vital river, and 
vibrated up all its tributary streams. 

It is surprising to notice how well this remote 
tribe of savages had learnt through intermediate 
gossips, the private feelings of the colonists at 
Astoria : it shows that Indians are not the incu- 
rious and indifferent observers that they have 
been represented. They told Mr. Hunt that the 
white people at the large house had been looking 
anxiously for many of their friends, whom they 
had expected to descend the great river ; and 
had been in much affliction, fearing that they 
were lost. Now, however, the arrival of him 
and his party would wipe away all their tears, 
and they would dance and sing for joy. 

On the 31st of January, Mr. Hunt arrived at 
the falls of the Columbia, and encamped at the vil- 
lage of the Wish-ram, situated at the head of that 
dangerous pass of the river called " the Long 
Narrows." 




CHAPTER XXXVIII. 




IF the village of Wisli-ram, the aborigmes' 
fishing mart of the Columbia, we have 
given some account in an early chapter 
of this work. The inhabitants held a traffic in 
the productions of the fisheries of the falls, and 
their village was the trading resort of the tribes 
from the coast and from the mountains. Mr. 
Hunt found the inhabitants shrewder and more 
intelligent than any Indians he had met with. 
Trade had sharpened their wits, though it had 
not improved their honesty ; for they were a com- 
munity of arrant rogues and freebooters. Their 
habitations comported with their circumstances, 
and were superior to any the travellers had yet 
seen west of the Rocky Mountains. In general, 
the dwellings of the savages on the Pacific side 
of that great barrier were mere tents and cabins 
of mats, or skins, or straw, the country being 
destitute of timber. In Wish-ram, on the con- 
trary, the houses were built of wood, with long 
sloping roofs. The floor was sunk about six feet 
below the surface of the ground, with a low door 
at the gable end, extremely narrow, and partly 
sunk. Through this it was necessary to crawl, 
and then to descend a short ladder. This incon- 



BISTJiESSlNG INTELLIGENCE. 395 

venient entrance was probably for the purpose of 
defense ; there were loop-holes also under the 
eaves, apparently for the discharge of arrows. 
The houses were large, generally contaming two 
or three families. Immediately within the door 
were sleepmg j)laces, ranged along the walls, like 
berths in a ship ; and furnished with pallets of 
mattino^. These extended alono; one half of the 
building ; the remaining half was appropriated to 
the storing of dried fish. 

The trading operations of the inhabitants of 
Wish-ram had given them a wider scope of in- 
formation, and rendered their village a kind of 
headquarters of intelligence. Mr. Hunt was 
able, therefore, to collect more distinct tidings 
concerning the settlement of Astoria and its af- 
fairs. One of the inhabitants had been at the 
trading post established by David Stuart on the 
Oakinagan, and had jDicked up a few words of 
English there. From him, ^Ii\ Hunt gleaned 
various particulars about that establishment, as 
well as about the general concerns of the enter- 
prise. Others repeated the name of Mr. M'Kay, 
the partner who j)erished in the massacre on 
board of the Tonquin, and gave some account of 
that melancholy affair. They said Mr. M'Kay 
was a chief among the white men, and had built 
a great house at the mouth of the river, but had 
left it and sailed away in a large ship to the 
northward where he had been attacked by bad 
Indians in canoes. Mr. Hunt was startled by 
this intelligence, and made further mquiries. 
They informed him that the Lidians had lashed 



396 ASTORIA. 

tlieir canoes to the sliip, and fought until they 
killed him and all his people. This is another 
instance of the clearness with which intelligence 
is transmitted from mouth to mouth among the 
Indian tribes*. These tidings, though but par- 
tially credited by Mr. Hunt, filled his mind with 
anxious forebodings. He now endeavored to 
procure canoes, in which to descend the Colum- 
bia, but none suitable for the purpose were to be 
obtained above the Narrows ; he continued on, 
therefore, the distance of twelve miles, and en- 
camped on the bank of the river. The camp 
was soon surrounded by loitering savages, who 
went prowling about seeking what they might 
pilfer. Being baffled by the vigilance of the 
guard, they endeavored to compass their ends by 
other means. Towards evening, a number of 
warriors entered the camp in ruffling style ; 
painted and dressed out as if for battle, and 
armed with lances, bows and arrows, and scalping 
knives. They informed Mr. Hunt that a party 
of thirty or forty braves were coming up from a 
village below to attack the camp and carry off 
the horses, but that they were determined to stay 
with him and defend liim. Mr. Hunt received 
them with great coldness, and, when they had 
finished their story, gave them a pipe to smoke. 
He then called up all hands, stationed sentinels in 
difierent quarters, but told them to keep as vigil- 
ant an eye within the camp as without. 

The warriors were evidently baffled by these 
precautions, and, having smoked their pipe, and 
vapored off their valor, took their departure. 



NOTHING BUT SMOKE. 397 

The farce, however, did not end here. After a 
little while the warriors returned, ushering in 
another savage, still more heroically arrayed. This 
they announced as the chief of the belligerent 
village, but as a great pacificator. His people 
had been furiously bent upon the attack, and 
would have doubtless carried it into effect, but 
this gallant chief had stood forth as the friend of 
white men, and had dispersed the throng by his 
own authority and prowess. Having vaunted 
this signal piece of service, there was a significant 
pause ; all evidently expecting some adequate re- 
ward. Mr. Hunt agam produced the pipe, 
smoked with the chieftain and his worthy com- 
peers ; but made no further demonstrations of 
gratitude. They remained about the camp all 
night, but at daylight returned, baffled and crest- 
fallen, to their homes, with nothing but smoke for 
their pains. 

Mr. Hunt now endeavored to procure canoes, 
of which he saw several about the neighborhood, 
extremely well made, with elevated stems and 
sterns, some of them capable of carrying three 
thousand pounds weight. He found it extremely 
difficult, however, to deal with these shppery 
people, who seemed much more inclined to pilfer. 
Notwithstanding a strict guard mamtained round 
the camp, various implements were stolen, and 
several horses carried off. Among the latter, we 
have to include the long-cherished steed of Pierre 
Dorion. From spme wilful caprice that worthy 
pitched his tent at some distance from the main 
body, and tethered his invaluable steed beside it, 



398 ASTORIA. 

from whence it was abstracted in the night, to the 
infinite chagrin and mortification of the hybrid 
interpreter. 

Having, after several days' negotiation, pro- 
cured the requisite number of canoes, Mr. Hunt 
would gladly have left this thievish neighborhood, 
but was detained until the 5th of February by 
violent head winds, accompanied by snow and 
rain. Even after he was enabled to get under 
way, he had still to struggle against contrary 
winds and tempestuous weather. The current of 
the river, however, was in his fevor ; having 
made a portage at the grand rajDid, the canoes 
met with no further obstruction, and, on the 
afternoon of the 15th of February, swept round 
an intervening cape, and came in sight of the 
infant settlement of Astoria. After eleven 
months wandering in the wilderness, a great part 
of the time over trackless wastes, where the 
sight of a savage wigwam was a rarity, we may 
imagine the delight of the poor weather-beaten 
travellers, at beholding the embryo establishment, 
with its magazines, habitations, and picketed bul- 
warks, seated on a high point of land, dominating 
a beautiful little bay, in which was a trim-built 
shallop riding quietly at anchor. A shout of joy 
burst from each canoe at the long-wished-for 
sight. They urged their canoes across the bay, 
and pulled with eagerness for shore, where all 
hands poured down from the settlement to receive 
and welcome them. Among the first to greet 
them on their landing, were some of their old 
comrades and fellow-sufferers, who, under the 



ARRIVAL AT ASTORIA. 399 

conduct of Reed, M'Lellan, and M'Kenzie, had 
parted from them at the Caldron Linn. These 
had reached Astoria nearly a month previously, 
and, judging from their own narrow escape from 
starvation, had given up Mr. Hunt and his fol- 
lowers as lost. Their greeting was the more 
warm and cordial. As to the Canadian voy- 
ageurs, their mutual felicitations, as usual, were 
loud and vociferous, and it was almost ludicrous 
to behold these ancient " comrades " and " con- 
freres," hugging and kissing each other on the 
river bank. 

When the first greetings were over, the differ- 
ent bands interchanged accounts of their several 
wanderings, after separating at Snake River ; we 
shall briefly notice a few of the leading particu- 
lars. It will be recollected by the reader, that a, 
small exploring detachment had proceeded down 
the river, under the conduct of Mr. John Reed, a 
clerk of the comj)any ; that another had set off 
under M'Lellan, and a third in a different direction, 
under M'Kenzie. After wandering for several 
days without meeting with Lidians, or obtaining 
any supplies, they came together fortuitously 
among the Snake River mountains, some distance 
below that disastrous pass or strait which had 
received the appellation of the Devil's Scuttle 
Hole. 

When thus united, their party consisted of 
M'Kenzie, M'Lellan, Reed, and eight men, chiefly 
Canadians. Being all in the same predicament, 
without horses, provisions, or information of any 
kind, they all agreed that it would be worse than 



400 ASTORIA. 

useless to return to Mr. Hunt and encumber him 
with so many starving men, and that their only- 
course was to extricate themselves as soon as pos- 
sible from this land of famine and misery, and 
make the best of their way for the Columbia. 
They accordingly continued to follow the down- 
ward course of Snake River ; clambering rocks 
and mountains, and defying all the difficulties and 
dangers of that rugged defile, which subsequently, 
when the snows had fallen, was found imi3assable 
by Messrs. Hunt and Crooks. 

Though constantly near to the borders of the 
river, and for a great part of the time within 
sight of its current, one of their greatest suffer- 
ings was thirst. The river had worn its way in a 
deep channel through rocky mountains, destitute 
of brooks or springs. Its banks were so high 
and precipitous, that there was rarely any place 
where the travellers could get down to drink of 
its waters. Frequently they suffered for miles 
the torments of Tantalus ; water continually 
within sight, yet fevered with the most parching 
thirst. Here and there they met with rain-water 
collected in the hollows of the rocks, but more 
than once they were reduced to the utmost ex- 
tremity ; and some of the men had recourse to 
the last expedient to avoid perishing. 

Their sufferings from hunger were equally 
severe. They could meet with no game, and 
subsisted for a time on strips of beaver skin, 
broiled on the coals. These were doled out in 
scanty allowances, barely sufficient to keep up 
existence, and at length failed them altogether. 



ADVENTURES. 401 

Still they crept feebly on, scarce dragging one 
limb after another, until ti severe snow-storm 
brought them to a pause. To struggle against 
it, in their exhausted condition, was impossible, 
so cowering under an impending rock at the foot 
of a steep mountain, they prepared themselves 
for that wretched fate wliich seemed inevitable. 

At this critical juncture, when famine stared 
them in the face, M'Lellan casting up liis eyes, 
beheld an ahsahta, or bighorn, sheltering itself 
under a shelving rock on the side of the hill 
above them. Being in a more active plight than 
any of his comrades, and an excellent marksman, 
he set off to get within shot of the animal. His 
companions watched his movements with breath- 
less anxiety, for their lives depended upon his 
success. He made a cautious circuit ; scrambled 
up the hill with the utmost silence, and at length 
arrived, unperceived, within a proper distance. 
Here levelmg his rifle he took so sure an aim, 
that the bighorn fell dead on the spot ; a fortunate 
circumstance, for, to pursue it, if merely wounded, 
would have been impossible in his emaciated 
state. The declivity of the hill enabled him to 
roll the carcass down to his companions, who were 
too feeble to climb the rocks. They fell to work 
to cut it up ; yet exerted a remarkable self-denial 
for men m their starvmg condition, for they con- 
tented themselves for the present with a soup 
made from the bones, reserving the flesh for future 
repasts. This providential rehef gave them 
strength to pursue their journey, but they were 
frequently reduced to almost equal straits, and 
26 



402 ASTORIA. 

it was only the smallness of their party, requir- 
ing a small supply of provisions, that enabled 
them to get through this desolate region with 
their lives. 

At length, after twenty-one days of toil and 
suffering, they got through these mountains, and 
arrived at a tributary stream of that branch of 
the Columbia called Lewis River, of which Snake 
River forms the southern fork. In this neigh- 
borhood they met with wild horses, the first they 
had seen west of the Rocky Mountains. From 
hence they made their way to Lewis River, 
where they fell in with a friendly tribe of 
Lidians, who freely administered to their neces- 
sities. On this river they procured two canoes, 
in which they dropped down the stream to its 
confluence with the Columbia, and then down 
that river to Astoria, where they arrived hag- 
gard and emaciated, and perfectly in rags. 

Thus, all the leading persons of Mr. Hunt's 
expedition were once more gathered together, 
excepting Mr. Crooks, of whose safety they enter- 
tained but little hope, considering the feeble con- 
dition in which they had been compelled to leave 
him in the heart of the wilderness. 

A day was now given up to jubilee, to celebrate 
the arrival of Mr. Hunt and his companions, and 
the joyful meeting of the various scattered bands 
of adventurers at Astoria. The colors were 
hoisted ; the guns, great and small, were fired ; 
there was a feast of fish, of beaver, and vension, 
which relished well with men who had so long 
been glad to revel on horse flesh and dogs' meat ; 



FESTIVAL AT ASTORIA. 403 

a genial allowance of grog was issued, to increase 
the general animation, and the festivities wound 
up, as usual, with a grand dance at night, by the 
Canadian voyageurs.^ 

1 The distance from St. Louis to Astoria, by the route 
travelled by Hunt and M'Kenzie, was upwards of thirty five 
hundred miles, though in a direct line it does not exceed 
eighteen hundred. 




CHAPTER XXXIX. 




HE winter passed away tranquilly at 
Astoria. The apprehensions of hostil- 
ity from the natives had subsided ; in- 
deed, as the season advanced, the Indians for the 
most part had disappeared from the neighbor- 
hood, and abandoned the sea-coast, so that, for 
want of their aid, the colonists had at times suf- 
fered considerably for want of provisions. The 
hunters belonging to the establishment made fre- 
quent and wide excursions, but with very moder- 
iate success. ' There were some deer and a few 
bears to be found in the vicinity, and elk in great 
numbers ; the country, however, was so rough, 
and the woods so close and entangled that it was 
almost impossible to beat up the game. The 
prevalent rains of winter, also, rendered it diffi- 
cult for the hunter to keep his arms in order. 
The quantity of game, therefore, brought in by 
the hunters was extremely scanty, and it was 
frequently necessary to put all hands on very 
moderate allowance. Towards spring, however, 
the fishing season commenced — the season of 
plenty on the Columbia. About the beginning 
of February, a small kind of fish, about six 
inches long, called by the natives the uthlecan, 
and resembling the smelt, made its appearance 



COLUMBIA RIVER FISHERIES. 405 

at the mouth of the river. It is said to be of 
delicious flavor, and so fat as to burn like a 
candle, for which it is often used by the na- 
tives. It enters the river in immense shoals, 
like solid columns, often extending to the depth 
of five or more feet, and is scooped up by the 
natives with small nets at the end of poles. In 
this way they will soon fill a canoe, or form a 
great heap upon the river banks. These fish 
constitute a principal article of their food ; the 
women drying them and stringing them on cords. 
As the uthlecan is only found in the lower part 
of the river, the arrival of it soon brought back 
the natives to the coast ; who again resorted to 
the factory to trade, and from that time furnished 
plentiful supplies of fish. 

The sturgeon makes its appearance in the 
river shortly after the uthlecan, and is taken in 
different ways by the natives: sometimes they 
spear it ; but oftener they use the hook and line, 
and the net. Occasionally, they sink a cord in 
the river by a heavy weight, with a buoy at the 
upper end, to keep it floating. To this cord 
several hooks are attached by short lines, a few 
feet distant from each other, and baited with 
small fish. This apparatus is often set towards 
night, and by the next morning several sturgeon 
will be found hooked by it ; for though a large 
and strong fish, it makes but little resistance when 
ensnared. 

The salmon, which are the prime fish of the 
Columbia, and as important to the piscatory 
tribes as are the buflTaloes to the hunters of the 



406 ASTORIA. 

prairies, do not enter the river until towards the lat- 
ter part of May, from which time, until the middle 
of August, they abound, and are taken in vast 
quantities, either with the spear or seine, and 
mostly in shallow w^ater. An inferior species 
succeeds, and continues from August to Decem- 
ber. It is remarkable for having* a double row 
of teeth, half an inch long and extremely sharp, 
from whence it has received the name of the 
dog-toothed salmon. It is generally killed with 
the spear in small rivulets, and smoked for win- 
ter provision. We have noticed in a former 
chapter the mode in which the salmon are taken 
and cured at the falls of the Columbia ; and put 
up in parcels for exportation. From these differ- 
ent fisheries of the river tribes, the establishment 
at Astoria had to derive much of its precarious 
supplies of provisions. 

A year's residence at the mouth of the Co- 
lumbia, and various expeditions in the interior, 
had now given the Astorians some idea of the 
country. The whole coast is described as re- 
markably rugged and mountainous ; with dense 
forests of hemlock, spruce, white and red cedar, 
cotton-wood, white oak, white and swamp ash, 
willow, and a few walnut. There is likewise an 
undergrowth of aromatic shrubs, creepers, and 
clambering vines, that render the forests almost 
impenetrable ; together with berries of various 
kinds, such as gooseberries, strawberries, rasp- 
berries, both red and yellow, very large and finely 
flavored whortleberries, cranberries, serviceberries, 
blackberries, currants, sloes, and wild and choke 
cherries. 



ANJMAL PRODUCTIONS. 407 

Among the flowering vines is one deserving 
of particular notice. Each flower is composed 
of six leaves or petals, about three inches in 
length, of a beautiful crimson, the inside spotted 
with white. Its leaves, of a fine green, are oval, 
and disposed by threes. This plant climbs upon 
the trees without attaching itself to them : when 
it has reached the topmost branches, it descends 
perpendicularly, and as it continues to grow, ex- 
tends from tree to tree, until its various stalks 
interlace the grove like the rigging of a ship. 
The stems or trunks of this vine are tougher and 
more flexible than willow, and are from fifty to 
one hundred fathoms in length. From the fibres, 
the Indians manufacture baskets of such close 
texture as to hold water. 

The principal quadrupeds that had been seen 
by the colonists in their various expeditions were 
the stag, fallow deer, hart, black and grizzly bear, 
antelope, ahsahta or bighorn, beaver, sea and river 
otter, muskrat, fox, wolf, and panther, the latter 
extremely rare. The only domestic animals 
among the natives were horses and dogs. 

The country abounded with aquatic and land 
birds, such as swans, wild geese, brant, ducks of 
almost every description, pelicans, herons, gulls, 
snipes, curlews, eagles, vultures, crows, ravens, 
magpies, woodpeckers, pigeons, partridges, pheas- 
ants, grouse, and a great variety of singing 
birds. 

There were few reptiles; the only dangerous 
kinds were the rattlesnake; and one striped with 
black, yellow, and white, about four feet long. 



408 ASTORIA. 

Among the lizard kind was one about nine or ten 
inches in length, exclusive of the tail, and three 
inches in circumference. The tail was round, and 
of the same length as the body. The head was 
triangular, covered with small square scales. The 
upper part of the body was likewise covered with 
small scales, green, yellow, black, and blue. 
Es^ch foot had five toes, furnished with strong 
nails, probably to aid it in burrowing, as it usu- 
ally lived under ground on the plains. 

A remarkable fact, characteristic of the coun- 
try west of the Rocky Mountains, is the mild- 
ness and equability of the climate. The great 
mountain barrier seems to divide the continent 
into different climates, even in the same degrees 
of latitude. The rigorous winters and sultry 
summers, and all the capricious inequalities of 
temperature prevalent on the Atlantic side of the 
mountains, are but little felt on their western 
declivities. The countries between them and the 
Pacific are blessed with milder and steadier tem- 
perature, resembling the climates of parallel lati- 
tudes in Europe. In the plains and valleys but 
little snow falls throughout the winter, and usu- 
ally melts while falling. It rarely lies on the 
ground more than two days at a time, except 
on the summits of the mountains. The winters 
are rainy rather than cold. The rains for five 
months, from the middle of October to the mid- 
dle of March, are almost incessant, and often ac- 
companied by tremendous thunder and lightning. 
The winds prevalent at this season are from the 
south and southeast, which usually bring rain. 



CLIMATE WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. 409 

Those from the north to the southwest are the 
harbingers of fair weather and a clear sky. The 
residue of the year, from the middle of March 
to the middle of October, an interval of seven 
months, is serene and delightful. There is scarcely 
any rain throughout this time, yet the face of 
the country is kept fresh and verdant by nightly 
dews, and occasionally by humid fogs in the morn- 
ings. These are not considered prejudicial to 
health, since both the natives and the whites sleep. 
in the open air with perfect impunity. While 
this equable and bland temperature prevails 
throughout the lower country, the peaks and ridges 
of the vast mountains by which it is dominated, 
are covered with perpetual snow. This renders 
them discernible at a great distance, shining at 
times like bright summer clouds, at other times 
assuming the most aerial tints, and always form- 
ing brilliant and striking features in the vast 
landscape. The mild temperature prevalent 
throughout the country is attributed by some to 
the succession of winds from the Pacific Ocean, 
extending from latitude twenty degrees to at 
least fifty degrees north. These temper the heat 
of summer, so that in the shade no one is in- 
commoded by perspiration ; they also soften the 
rigors of winter, and produce such a moderation 
in the climate, that the inhabitants can wear the 
same dress throughout the year. 

The soil in the neighborhood of the sea-coast 
is of a brown color, inclining to red, and gener- 
ally poor ; being a mixture of clay and gravel. 
In the interior, and especially in the valleys of 



410 ASTORIA. 

the Rocky Mountains, the soil is generally black- 
ish, though sometimes yellow. It is frequently 
mixed with marl, and with marine substances in 
a state of decomposition. This kind of soil ex- 
tends to a considerable depth, as may be per- 
ceived in the deep cuts made by ravines, and by 
the beds of rivers. The vegetation in these val- 
leys is much more abundant than near the coast ; 
in fact, it is in these fertile intervals, locked up 
between rocky sierras, or scooped out from bar- 
ren wastes, that population must extend itself, 
as it were, in veins and ramifications, if ever the 
regions beyond the mountains should become civ- 
ilized. 






CHAPTER XL. 




BRIEF mention has already been made 
of the tribes or hordes existing about 
the lower part of the Columbia at the 
time of the settlement ; a few more particulars 
concerning them may be acceptable. The four 
tribes nearest to Astoria, and with whom the 
traders had most intercourse, were, as has here- 
tofore been observed, the Chinooks, the Clatsops, 
the Wahkiacums, and the Cathlamets. The 
Chinooks reside chiefly along the banks of a 
river of the same name, running parallel to the 
sea-coast, through a low country studded with 
stagnant pools, and emptying itself into Baker's 
Bay, a few miles from Cape Disappointment. 
'J'his was the tribe over which Comcomly, the 
one-eyed chieftain, held sway ; it boasted two 
hundred and fourteen fighting men. Their chief 
subsistence was on fish, with an occasional regale 
of the flesh of elk and deer, and of wild-fowl 
from the neighboring ponds. 

The Clatsops resided on both sides of Point 
Adams ; they were the mere relics of a tribe 
which had been nearly swept off by the small- 
pox, and did not number more than one hun- 
dred and eighty fighting men. 

The Wahkiacums, or Waak-i-cums, inhabited 



412 ASTORIA. 

the north side of the Columbia, and numbered 
sixty-six warriors. They and the Chinooks 
were originally the same ; but a dispute arising 
about two generations previous to the time of 
the settlement, between the ruling chief and his 
brother Wahkiacum, the latter seceded, and with 
his adherents formed the present horde which 
continues to go by his name. In this way new 
tribes or clans are formed, and lurking causes of 
hostility engendered. 

The Cathlamets lived opposite to the lower 
village of the Wahkiacums, and numbered ninety- 
four warriors. 

These four tribes, or rather clans, have every 
appearance of springing from the same origin, 
resembling each other in person, dress, language, 
and manners. They are rather a diminutive 
race, generally below five feet five inches, with 
crooked legs and thick ankles — a deformity 
caused by their passing so much of their time 
sitting or squatting upon the calves of their legs 
and their heels, in the bottom of their canoes — r 
a favorite position, which they retain, even when 
on shore. The women increase the deformity by 
wearing tight bandages round the ankles, which 
prevent the circulation of the blood, and causes a 
swelling of the muscles of the leg. 

Neither sex can boast of personal beauty. 
Their faces are round, with small but animated 
eyes. Their noses are broad and flat at top, 
and fleshy at the end, with large nostrils. They 
have wide mouths, thick lips, and short, irregu- 
lar and dirty teeth. Indeed good teeth are sel- 



DRESS OF THE NATIVES. 413 

dora to be seen among the tribes west of the 
Rocky Mountains, who live cliiefly on fish. 

In the early stages of their intercourse with 
white men, these savages were but scantily clad. 
In summer time the men went entirely naked ; 
in the winter and in bad weather the men wore 
a small robe, reaching to the middle of the thigh, 
made of the skins of animals, or of the wool of 
the mountain sheep. Occasionally, they wore 
a kind of mantle of matting, to keep off the 
rain ; but, having thus protected the back and 
shoulders, they left the rest of the body naked. 

The women wore similar robes, though shorter, 
not reaching below the waist ; beside which, they 
had a kind of petticoat, or fringe, reaching from 
the waist to the knee, formed of the fibres of 
cedar bark, broken into strands, or a tissue of 
silk grass twisted and knotted at the ends. This 
was the usual dress of the women in summer ; 
should the weather be inclement, they added a 
vest of skins, similar to the robe. 

The men carefully eradicated every vestige of 
a beard, considering it a great deformity. They 
looked with disgust at the whiskers and well-fur- 
nished chins of the white men, and in derision 
called them Long-beards. Both sexes, on the 
other hand, cherished the hair of the head, which 
with them is generally black and rather coarse. 
They allowed it to grow to a great length and 
were very proud and careful of it, sometimes 
wearing it plaited, sometimes wound round the 
head in fanciful tresses. No greater affront could 
be offered to them than to cut off their treasured 
locks. 



414 ASTORIA. 

They had conical hats with narrow rims, neatly 
woven of bear grass or of the fibres of cedar bark, 
interwoven with designs of various shapes and 
colors ; sometimes merely squares and triangles, 
at other times rude representations of canoes, 
with men fishing and harpooning. These hats 
were nearly waterproof, and extremely durable. 

The favorite ornaments of the men were col- 
lars of bears' claws, the proud trophies of hunting 
exploits ; while the women and children wore 
similar decorations of elks' tusks. An inter- 
course with the white traders, however, soon 
effected a change in the toilets of both sexes. 
They became fond of arraying themselves in any 
article of civilized dress which they could pro- 
cure, and often made a most grotesque appear- 
ance. They adapted many articles of finery, 
also, to their own previous tastes. Both sexes 
were fond of adorning themselves with bracelets 
of iron, brass, or copper. They were delighted, 
also, with blue and white beads, particularly the 
former, and wore broad tight bands of them 
round the waist and ankles, large rolls of them 
round the neck, and pendants of them in the 
ears- The men, especially, who in savage life 
carry a passion for personal decoration further 
than the females, did not think their gala equip- 
ments complete unless they had a jewel ofhaiqua, 
or wampum, dangling at the nose. Thus ar- 
rayed, their hair besmeared with fish oil, and 
their bodies bedaubed with red clay, they consid- 
ered themselves irresistible. 

When on warlike expeditions, they painted 



THEIR PECULIAR DEFORMITY. 415 

their faces and bodies in the most hideous and 
grotesque manner, according to the universal 
practice of American savages. Their arras 
were bows and arrows, spears, and war clubs. 
Some wore a corselet, formed of pieces of hard 
wood, laced together with bear grass, so as to 
form a light coat of mail, pliant to the body ; 
and a kind of casque of cedar bark, leather, and 
bear grass, sufficient to protect the head from 
an arrow or war club. A more complete article 
of defensive armor was a buff jerkin or shirt of 
great thickness, made of doublings of elk skin, 
and reaching to the feet, holes being left for the 
head and arms. This was perfectly arrow- 
proof; add to which, it was often endowed with 
charmed virtues, by the spells and mystic cere- 
monials of the medicine man, or conjurer 

Of the peculiar custom, prevalent among these 
people, of flattening the head, we have already 
spoken. It is one of those instances of human 
caprice, like the crippling of the feet of females 
in China, which are quite incomprehensible. 
This custom prevails principally among the tribes 
on the sea-coast, and about the lower parts of 
the rivers. How far it extends along the coast 
we are not able to ascertain. Some of the tribes, 
both north and south of the Columbia, practice 
it ; but they all speak the Chinook language, and 
probably originated from the same stock. As 
far as we can learn, the remoter tribes, which 
speak an entirely different language, do not 
flatten the head. This absurd custom declines, 
also, in receding from the shores of the Pacific ; 



416 ' ASTORIA. 

few traces of it are to be found among the tribes 
of the Rocky Mountains, and after crossing the 
mountains it disappears altogether. Those In- 
dians, therefore, about the head waters of the 
Columbia, and in the solitary mountain regions, 
who are often called Flatheads, must not be 
supposed to be characterized by this deformity. 
It is an appellation often given by the hunters 
east of the mountain chain, to all the western In- 
dians, excepting the Snakes. 

The religious belief of these people was ex- 
tremely limited and confined ; or rather, in all 
probability, their explanations were but little 
understood by their visitors. They had an idea 
of a benevolent and omnipotent spirit, the creator 
of all things. They represent him as assuming 
various shapes at pleasure, but generally that of 
an immense bird. He usually inhabits the sun, 
but occasionally wings his way through the aerial 
regions, and sees all that is doing upon earth. 
Should anything displease him, he vents his 
wrath in terrific storms and tempests, the light- 
ning being the flashes of his eyes, and the thun- 
der the clapping of his wings. To propitiate his 
favor they offer to him annual sacrifices of sal- 
mon and venison, the first fruits of their fishing 
and hunting. 

Beside this aerial spirit they believe in an in- 
ferior one, who inhabits the fire, and of whom 
they are in perpetual dread, as, though he pos- 
sesses equally the power of good and evil, the 
evil is apt to predominate. They endeavor, 
therefore, to keep him in good humor by frequent 



MEDICINE MEN. 417 

offerings. He is supposed also to have great 
influence with the winged spirit, their sovereign 
protector and benefactor. They implore him, 
therefore, to act as their interpreter, and procure 
them all desirable things, such as success in fish- 
ing and hunting, abundance of game, fleet horses, 
obedient wives, and male children. 

These Indians have likewise their priests, or 
conjurers, or medicine men, who pretend to be in 
the confidence of the deities, and the expounders 
and enforcers of their will. Each of these 
medicine men has his idols carved in wood, 
representing the spirits of the air and of the fire, 
under some rude and grotesque form of a horse, 
a bear, a beaver, or other quadruped, or that of 
bird or fish. These idols are hung round with 
amulets and votive offerings, such as beavers' 
teeth, and bears' and eagles' claws. 

When any chief personage is on his death-bed, 
or dangerously ill, the medicine men are sent for. 
Each brings with him his idols, with which he re- 
tires into a canoe to hold a consultation. As doc- 
tors are prone to disagree, so these medicine men 
have now and then a violent altercation as to the 
malady of the patient, or the treatment of it. 
To settle this they beat their idols soundly against 
each other ; whichever first loses a tooth or a 
claw is considered as confuted, and his votary re- 
tires from the field. 

Polygamy is not only allowed, but considered 
honorable, and the greater number of wives a 
man can maintain, the more important is he in 
the eyes of the tribe. The first wife, however, 



418 ASTORIA. 

takes rank of all the others, and is considered 
mistress of the house. Still the domestic estab- 
lishment is liable to jealousies and cabals, and 
the lord and master has much difficulty in main- 
taining hai-mony in his jangling household. 

In the manuscript from which we draw many 
of these particulars, it is stated that he who ex- 
ceeds his neighbors in the number of his wives, 
male children, and slaves, is elected chief of the 
villaije : a title to office which we do not recollect 
ever before to have met with. 

Feuds are frequent among these tribes, but 
are not very deadly. They have occasionally 
pitched battles, fought on appointed days, and at 
specific places, which are generally the banks of 
a rivulet. The adverse parties post themselves 
on the opposite sides of the stream, and at such 
distances that the battles often last a long while 
before any blood is shed. The number of killed 
and wounded seldom exceed half a dozen. 
Should the damage be equal on each side, the 
war is considered as honorably concluded ; should 
one party lose more than the other, it is entitled 
to a compensation in slaves or other property, 
otherwise hostilities are liable to be renewed at 
a future day. They are much given also to 
predatory inroads into the territories of their en- 
emies, and sometimes of their friendly neighbors. 
Should they fall upon a band of inferior force, 
or upon a village, weakly defended, they act with 
the ferocity of true poltroons, slaying all the men, 
and carrying off the women and children as 
slaves. As to the property, it is packed upon 



AM U SEMEN TS. — S T EALING. 419 

horses which they bring with them for the pur- 
pose. They are mean and paltry as warriors, 
and altogether inferior in heroic qualities to the 
savages of the buffalo plains on the east side of 
the mountains. 

A great portion of their time is passed in )-ev- 
elry, music, dancing, and gambling. Their music 
scarcely deser%^es the name; the instrumeiits 
beins of the rudest kind. Their singing is harsh 
and discordant ; the songs are chiefly extempore, 
relating to passing circumstances, the persons 
present, or any trifling object that strikes the at- 
tention of the singer. They have several kinds 
of dances, some of them lively and pleasing. 
The women are rarely permitted to dance with 
the men, but form groups apart, dancing to the 
same instrument and song. 

They have a great passion for play, and a va- 
riety of games. To such a pitch of ,excitement 
are they sometimes roused, that they gamble 
away everything they possess, even to their 
wives and children. They are notorious thieves, 
also, and proud of their dexterity. He who is 
frequently successful, gains much applause and 
popularity; but the clumsy thief, who is detected 
in some bungling attempt, is scoffed at and de- 
spised, and sometimes severely punished. 

Such are a few leading characteristics of the 
natives in the neighborhood of Astoria. They 
appear to us inferior in many respects to the 
tribes east of the mountains, the bold rovers of 
the prairies ; and to partake much of the Esqui- 
maux character ; elevated in some degree by a 



420 ASTORIA. 

more genial climate, and more varied style of 
living. 

The habits of traffic engendered at the cata- 
racts of the Columbia, have had their influence 
along the coast. The Chinooks and other In- 
dians at the mouth of the river, soon proved 
themselves keen traders, and in their early deal- 
ings with the Astorians never hesitated to ask 
three times what they considered the real value 
of an article. They were inquisitive, also, in the 
extreme, and impertinently intrusive ; and were 
prone to indulge in scoffing and ridicule at the 
expense of the strangers. 

In one thing, however, they showed superior 
judgment and self command to most of their race ; 
this was, in their abstinence from ardent spirits, 
and the abhorrence and disgust with which they 
regarded a drunkard. On one occasion, a son of 
Comcoraly had been induced to drink freely at 
the factory, and went home in a state of intoxica- 
tion, playing all kinds of mad pranks, until he 
sank into a stupor, in which he remained for two 
days. The old chieftain repaired to his friend, 
M'Dougal, with indignation flaming in his coun- 
tenance, and bitterly reproached him for having 
permitted his son to degrade himself into a beast, 
and to render himself an object of scorn and 
laughter to his slave. 




CHAPTER XLI. 

S the spring opened, the little settlement 
of Astoria was in agitation, and prepared 
to send forth various expeditions. Sev- 
eral important things were to be done. It was 
necessary to send a supply of goods to the trading 
post of Mr. David Stuart, established in the pre- 
ceding autumn on the Oakinagan. The cache, or 
secret deposit, made by Mr. Hunt at the Caldron 
Linn, was likewise to be visited, and the merchan- 
dise and other effects left there, to be brought to 
Astoria. A third object of moment was to send 
dispatches overland to Mr. Astor at New York, 
informing him of the state of affairs at the settle- 
ment, and the fortunes of the several expeditions. 
The task of carrying supplies to Oakinagan 
was assigned to Mr. Robert Stuart, a spirited and 
enterprising young man, nephew to the one who 
had established the post. The cache was to be 
sought out by two of the clerks, named Russell 
Farnham and Donald M'Gilles, conducted by a 
guide, and accompanied by eight men, to assist in 
bringing home the goods. 

As to the dispatches, they were confided to Mr. 
John Reed, the clerk, the same who had conducted 
one of the exploring detachments of Snake River. 
He was now to trace back his way across the 



422 AS TOR /A. 

mountains by the same route by which he had 
come, with no other companions or escort than 
Ben Jones, the Kentucky hunter, and two Ca- 
nadians. As it was still hoped that Mr. Crooks 
might be in existence, and that Mr. Reed and his 
party might meet with him in the course of their 
route, they were charged with a small supply of 
goods and provisions, to aid that gentleman on his 
way to Astoria. 

When the expedition of Reed was made known, 
Mr. M'Lellan announced his determination to ac- 
company it. He had long been dissatisfied with 
the smallness of his interest in the copartnership, 
and had requested an additional number of shares ; 
his request not being complied with, he resolved 
to abandon the company. M'Lellan was a man of 
a singukirly self-willed and decided character, 
with whom persuasion was useless ; he was per- 
mitted, therefore, to take liis own course without 
opposition. 

As to Reed, he set about preparing for his 
hazardous journey with the zeal of a true Irish- 
man. He iiad a tin case made, in which the 
letters and papers addressed to ]Mi\ Astor were 
carefully soldered up. This case he intended to 
strap upon his shoulders, so as to bear it about 
with him, sleeping and waking, in all changes and 
chances, by land or by water, and never to part 
with it but with his life ! 

As the route of these several parties would be 
the same for nearly four hundred miles up the 
Columbia, and within that distance would lie 
through the piratical pass of the rapids, and 



THE PIRATICAL PASS. 423 

among the freebootiiig tribes of the river, it was 
thought advisable to start about the same time, 
and to keep together. Accordingly, on the 2 2d 
of March, they all set off, to the number of 
seventeen men, in two canoes — and here we 
cannot but pause to notice the hardihood of these 
several expeditions, so insignificant in point of 
force, and severally destined to traverse immense 
wildernesses, where larger parties had experienced 
so much danger and distress. When recruits 
were sought in the preceding year among experi- 
enced hunters and voyageurs at Montreal and St. 
Louis, it was considered dangerous to attempt to 
cross the Rocky Mountains with less than sixty 
men ; and yet here we find Reed ready to push 
his way across those barriers with merely three 
companions. Such is the fearlessness, the insen- 
sibility to danger, wliicli men acquire by the 
habitude of constant risk. The mind, like the 
body, becomes callous by exposure. 

The little associated band proceeded up the 
river, under the command of Mr. Robert Stuart, 
and arrived early in the month of April at the 
Long Narrows, that notorious plundering place. 
Here it was necessary to unload the canoes, and 
to transport both them and their cargoes to the 
head of the Narrows by land. Their party was 
too few in number for the purpose. They were 
obliged, therefore, to seek the assistance of the 
Cathlasco Indians, who undertook to carry the 
goods on their horses. Forward then they set, 
the Indians with their horses well freighted, and 
the first load convoyed by Reed and five men, 



424 ASTORIA. 

well armed ; the gallant Irishman striding along 
at the head, with his tin case of dispatches glit- 
tering on his back. In passing, however, through 
a rocky and intricate defile, some of the freeboot- 
ing vagrants turned their horses up a narrow 
path and galloped off, carrying with them two 
bales of goods, and a number of smaller articles. 
To follow them was useless ; indeed, it was with 
much ado that the convoy got into port with the 
residue of the cargoes ; for some of the guards 
were pillaged of their knives and pocket hand- 
kerchiefs, and the lustrous tin case of Mr. John 
Reed was in imminent jeopardy. 

Mr. Stuart heard of these depredations, and 
hastened forward to the relief of the convoy, but 
could not reach them before dusk, by which time 
they had arrived at the village of Wish-ram, al- 
ready noted for its great fishery, and the knavish 
propensities of its inhabitants. Here they found 
themselves benighted in a strange place, and sur- 
rounded by savages bent on pilfering, if not upon 
open robbery. Not knowing what active course 
to take, they remained under arms all night, 
without closing an eye, and at the very first peep 
of dawn, when objects were yet scarce visible, 
everything was hastily embarked, and, without 
seeking to recover the stolen effects, they pushed 
off from shore, " glad to bid adieu," as they said, 
" to this abominable nest of miscreants." 

The worthies of Wish-ram, however, were 
not disposed to part so easily with their visitors. 
Their cupidity had been quickened by the plunder 
which they had already taken, and their confidence 



SURROUNDED BY PIRATE INDIANS. 425 

increased by the impunity with which their out- 
rage had passed. They resolved, therefore, to 
take further toll of the travellers, and, if possible, 
to capture the tin case of dispatches ; which 
shining conspicuously from afar, and being guarded 
by John E-eed with such especial care, must, as 
they supposed, be " a great medicine." 

Accordingly, Mr. Stuart and his comrades had 
not proceeded far in the canoes, when they beheld 
the whole rabble of Wish-ram stringing in groups 
along the bank, whoojMug and yelling, and gib- 
bering in their wild jargon, and when they landed 
below the falls, they were surrounded by upwards 
of four hundred of these river ruffians, armed 
with bows and arrows, war clubs, and other savage 
weapons. These now pressed forward, with offers 
to carry the canoes and effects up the jDortage. 
Mr. Stuart declined forwarding the goods, alleg- 
ing the lateness of the houi- ; but, to keep them 
in good humor, informed them, that, if they con- 
ducted themselves well, their ofifered services 
might probably be accepted in the morning ; in 
the meanwhile, he suggested that they might 
carry up the canoes. They accordingly set off 
with the two canoes on their shoulders, accom- 
panied by a guard of eight men well armed. 

When arrived at the head of the falls, the 
mischievous sjDirit of the savages broke out, and 
they were on the point of destroying the canoes, 
doubtless with a view to impede the white men 
from carrying forward their goods, and laying 
them open to further pilfering. They were with 
some difficulty prevented from committing this 



426 ASTORIA. 

outrage by the interference of an old man, who 
ajoiDeared to have authority among them ; and, in 
consequence of his harangue, the whole of the 
hostile band, with the exception of about fifty, 
crossed to the north side of the river, where they 
lay in wait, ready for further mischief. 

In the meantime, Mr. Stuart, who had re- 
mained at the foot of the falls with the goods, 
and who knew that the proffered assistance of 
the savages was only for the purpose of having 
an opportunity to plunder, determined, if possi- 
ble, to steal a march upon them, and defeat their 
machinations. In the dead of the night, there- 
fore, about one o'clock, the moon shining brightly, 
he roused his jDarty, and proposed that they should 
endeavor to transport the goods themselves, above 
the falls, before the sleeping savages could be 
aware of their operations. All hands sprang to 
the work with zeal, and hurried it on in the 
hope of getting all over before daylight. ]Mi\ 
Stuart went forward with the first loads, and took 
his station at the head of the portage, while Mr. 
Reed and Mr. M'Lellan remained at the foot to 
forward the remainder. 

The day dawned before the transportation was 
completed. Some of the fifty Indians who had 
remained on the south side of the river, per- 
ceived what was going on, and, feeling them- 
selves too weak for an attack, gave the alarm to 
those on the opposite side, upwards of a hundred 
of whom embarked in several large canoes. Two 
loads of goods yet remained to be brought up. 
Mr. Stuart dispatched some of the people for one 



REED AND M'LELLAN ATTACKED. 427 

of the loads, with a request to Mr. Reecl to retain 
with him as many of the men as he thought neces- 
sary to guard the remaining load, as he suspected 
hostile intentions on the part of the Indians. 
JVIi-. Reed, however, refused to retain any of 
them, saying that M'Lellan and himself were suf- 
ficient to protect the small quantity that remained. 
The men accordingly departed with the load, 
while Reed and M'Lellan continued to mount 
guard over the residue. By this time, a number 
of the canoes had arrived from the opposite side. 
As they approached the shore, the unlucky tin 
box of John Reed, shining afar like the brilliant 
helmet of Euryalus, caught their eyes. No 
sooner did the Ciinoes touch the shore, than they 
leaped forward on the rocks, set up a warwhoop, 
and sprang forward to secure the glittering prize. 
Mr. M'Lellan, who was at the river bank, ad- 
vanced to guard the goods, when one of the 
savages attempted to hoodwink him with his 
buflPalo robe with one hand, and to stab him with 
the other. M'Lellan sprang back just far en(^ugh 
to avoid the blow, and raising his rifle, shot the 
ruffian through the heart. 

Li the meantime. Reed, who with the want of 
forethought of an Irishman, had neglected to 
remove the leathern cover from the lock of his 
rifle, was fumbling at the fastenings, when he re- 
ceived a blow on the head with a war club that 
laid him senseless on the ground. In a twink- 
ling he was stripped of his rifle and pistols, and 
the tin box, the cause of all tliis onslaught, was 
borne off in triumph. 



428 ASTORIA. 

At this critical juncture, Mr. Stuart, who had 
heard the war-whoop, hastened to the scene of 
action with Ben Jones, and seven others of the 
men. When he arrived, Reed was weltering in 
his blood, and an Indian standing over him and 
about to disj^atch him with a tomahawk. Stuart 
gave the word, when Ben Jones leveled his rifle, 
and shot the miscreant on the spot. The men 
then gave a cheer, and charged upon the main 
body of the savages, who took to instant flight. 
Reed was now raised from the ground, and borne 
senseless and bleeding to the upper end of the 
portage. Preparations were made to launch the 
canoes and embark in all haste, when it was 
found that they were too leaky to be put in the 
water, and that the oars had been left at the foot 
of the falls. A scene of confusion now ensued. 
The Indians were whooping and yelluig, and run- 
ning about like fiends. A panic seized upon the 
men, at being thus suddenly checked, the hearts 
of some of the Canadians died within them, and 
two young men actually fainted away. The mo- 
ment they recovered their senses, Mr. Stuart 
ordered that they should be deprived of their 
arms, their under garments taken off, and that a 
piece of cloth should be tied round their waists, 
in imitation of a squaw ; an Indian punishment 
for cowardice. Thus equipped, they were stowed 
away among the goods in one of the canoes. 
This ludicrous affair excited the mirth of the 
bolder spirits, even in the midst of their perils, 
and roused the pride of the wavering. The In- 
dians having crossed back again to the north side, 



AN INDIAN AMBUSH. 429 

order was restored, some of the hands were sent 
back for the oars, others set to work to calk and 
launch the canoes, and in a little while all were 
embarked and were continuing their voyage along 
the southern shore. 

No sooner had they departed, than the Indians 
returned to the scene of action, bore oflf their 
two comrades who had been shot, one of whom 
was still living, and returned to their village. 
Here they killed two horses ; and drank the hot 
blood to give fierceness to their courage. They 
painted and arrayed themselves hideously for bat- 
tle ; performed the dead dance round the slain, 
and raised the war song of vengeance. Then 
mounting their horses, to the number of four hun- 
dred and fifty men, and brandishing their weap- 
ons, they set off along the northern bank of the 
river, to get ahead of the canoes, lie in wait for 
them, and take a terrible revenge on the white 
men. 

They succeeded in getting some distance above 
the canoes without being discovered, and were 
crossing the river to post themselves on the side 
along which the white men were coasting, when 
they were fortunately descried. Mr. Stuart and 
his companions were immediately on the alert. 
As they drew near to the place where the sav- 
ages had crossed, they observed them posted 
among steep and overhanging rocks, close along 
wliich, the canoes would have to pass. Finding 
that the enemy had the advantage of the ground, 
the whites stopped short when within five hun- 
dred yards of them, and discharged and reloaded 



430 ASTORIA. 

their pieces. They then made a fire, and dressed 
the wounds of Mr. Reed, who had received five 
severe gashes in the head. This being done, they 
lashed the canoes together, fastened them to a 
rock at a small distance from the shore, and there 
awaited the menaced attack. 

They had not been long posted in this manner, 
when they saw a canoe approaching. It contained 
the war-chief of the tribe, and three of his prin- 
cipal warriors. He drew near, and made a long 
harangue, in which he informed them that they 
had killed one and wounded another of his na- 
tion ; that the relations of the slain cried out for 
vengeance, and he had been compelled to lead 
them to fight. Still he wished to spare unneces- 
sary bloodshed ; he proposed, therefore, that Mr. 
Reed, who, he observed, was little better than a 
dead man, might be given up to be sacrificed to 
the manes of the deceased warrior. This would 
appease the fury of his friends ; the hatchet 
would then be buried, and all thenceforward 
would be friends. The answer was a stern re- 
fusal and a defiance, and the war-chief saw that 
the canoes were well prepared for a vigorous de- 
fense. He withdrew, therefore, and returning to 
his warriors amono; the rocks held loner delibera- 
tions. Blood for blood is a principle hi Indian 
equity and Indian honor ; but though the inhabi- 
tants of Wish-ram were men of war, they were 
likewise men of traffic, and it was suggested that 
honor for once might give way to profit. A ne- 
gotiation was accordingly opened with the white 
men, and after some diplomacy, the matter was 



REED'S EXPEDITION ABANDONED. 431 

compromised for a blanket to cover the dead, and 
some tobacco to be smoked by the livino-. This 
being granted, the heroes of Wish-ram crossed 
the river once more, returned to their villages to 
feast upon the horses whose blood they had so 
vaingloriously drunk, and the travellers pursued 
their voyage without further molestation. 

The tin case, however, containing the important 
dispatches for New York, was irretrievably lost; 
the very precaution taken by the worthy Hibernian 
to secure his missives, had, by rendering them 
conspicuous, produced their robbery. The object 
of his overland journey, therefore, being defeated, 
he gave up the expedition. The whole party re- 
paired with Mr. Robert Stuart to the establish- 
ment of Mr. David Stuart, on the Oakinagan 
River. After remaining here two or three days, 
they all set out on their return to Astoria, ac- 
companied by Mr. David Stuart. This gentleman 
had a large quantity of beaver skins at his estab- 
lishment, but did not think it prudent to take them 
with him, fearing the levy of " black mail " at the 
falls. 

On their way down, when below the forks of 
the Columbia, they were hailed one day from the 
shore in English. Looking around, they descried 
two wretched men, entirely naked. They pulled 
to shore ; the men came up and made themselves 
known. They proved to be Mr. Crooks and his 
faithful follower, John Day. 

The reader will recollect that Mr. Crooks, with 
Day and four Canadians, had been so reduced by 
famme and fatigue, that Mr. Hunt was obliged to 



432 ASTORIA. 

leave them, in the month of December, on the 
banks of the Snake River. Their situation was 
the more critical, as they were in the neighbor- 
hood of a band of Shoshonies, whose horses had 
been forcibly seized by Mr. Hmit's party for pro- 
visions. Mr. Crooks remained here twenty days, 
detained by the extremely reduced state of John 
Day, who was utterly unable to travel, and whom 
he would not abandon, as Day had been in his 
employ on the Missouri, and had always proved 
himself most faithful. Fortunately the Shoshonies 
did not offer to molest them. They had never 
before seen white men, and seemed to entertain 
some sujoerstitions with regard to them, for though 
they would encamp near them in the daytime, 
they would move off with their tents in the night ; 
and finally disappeared, without taking leave. 

When Day was sufficiently recovered to travel, 
they kept feebly on, sustaining themselves as well 
as they could, until in the month of February 
when three of the Canadians, fearful of perishing 
with want, left Mr. Crooks on a small river, on 
the road by wliich Mr. Hunt had passed m quest 
of Indians. Mr. Crooks followed Mr. Hunt's 
track in the snow for several days, sleeping as 
usual in the open air, and suffering all kinds of 
hardships. At length, coming to a low prairie, he 
lost every appearance of the " trail," and wan- 
dered during the remainder of the winter in the 
mountains, subsisting sometimes on horse meat, 
sometimes on beavers and their skins, and a part 
of the time on roots. 

About the last of March, the other Canadian 



SUFFERINGS OF MR. CROOKS. 433 

gave out and was left with a lodge of Shoshonies ; 
but Mr. Crooks and John Day still kept on, and 
finding the snow sufficiently diminished, undertook, 
from Indian information, to cross the last moun- 
tain ridge. They happily succeeded, and after- 
wards fell in with the Wallah- Wallahs, a tribe of 
Indians inhabiting the banks of a river of the 
same name, and reputed as being fi'ank, hospitable, 
and sincere. They proved worthy of the char- 
acter, for they received the poor wanderers kindly, 
killed a horse for them to eat, and directed them 
on their way to the Columbia. They struck the 
river about the middle of April, and advanced 
down it one hundred miles, until they came within 
about twenty miles of the falls. 

Here they met with some of the " chivalry" of 
that noted pass, who received them in a friendly 
way, and set food before them ; but, while they 
were satisfying their hunger, perfidiously seized 
their rifles. They then stripped them naked, and 
drove them off, refusing the entreaties of Mr. 
Crooks for a flint and steel of which they had 
robbed him ; and threatening his life if he did not 
instantly depart. 

In this forlorn plight, still worse off than be- 
fore, they renewed their wanderings. They now 
sought to find their way back to the hospitable 
Wallah- Wallahs, and had advanced eighty miles 
along the river, when fortunately, on the very 
morning that they were going to leave the Co- 
lumbia and strike inland, the canoes of Mr. Stuart 
hove in sight. 

It is needless to describe the joy of these poor 
28 



434 



ASTORIA. 



men at once more finding themselves among 
countrymen and friends, or of the honest and 
hearty welcome with which they were received by 
their fellow adventurers. The whole party now 
continued down the river, passed all the danger- 
ous places without interruption, and arrived safely 
at Astoria on the 11th of May. 




CHAPTER XLIL 




AVING traced the fortunes of the two 
expeditions by sea and land to the mouth 
of the Columbia, and presented a view 
of affairs at Astoria, we will return for a moment 
to the master spirit of the enterprise, who reg- 
ulated the springs of Astoria, at his residence 
in New York. 

It will be remembered, that a part of the plan 
of Mr. Astor was to furnish the Russian fur 
establishment on the northwest coast with regular 
supplies, so as to render it independent of those 
casual vessels which cut up the trade and supplied 
the natives with arms. This plan had been 
countenanced by our own government, and like- 
wise by Count Pahlen, the Russian minister at 
Washington. As its views, however, were im- 
portant and extensive, and might eventually affect 
a wide course of commerce, Mr. Astor was 
desirous of establishing a complete arrangement 
on the subject with the Russian American Fur 
Company, under the sanction of the Russian 
government. For this purpose, in March, 1811, 
he dispatched a confidential agent to St. Peters- 
burgh, fully empowered to enter into the requisite 
negotiations. A passage was given to this gentle- 
man by the government of the United States, in 



436 ASTORIA. 

the John Adams, one of its armed vessels, bound 
to a European port. 

The next step of Mr. Astor was, to dispatch 
the annual ship contemplated on liis general plan. 
He had as yet heard nothing of the success of 
the previous expeditions, and had to proceed upon 
the presumption that everything had been effected 
according to liis instructions. He accordingly fitted 
out a fine sliip of four hundred and ninety tons, 
called the Beaver, and freighted her with a valu- 
able cargo destined for the factory at the mouth 
of the Columbia, the trade along the coast, and 
the supply of the Russian establishment. In this 
ship embarked a reinforcement, consisting of a 
partner, five clerks, fifteen American laborers, and 
six Canadian voyageurs. In choosing his agents 
for his first expedition, Mr. Astor had been obliged 
to have recourse to British subjects experienced 
in the Canadian fur trade ; henceforth it was his 
intention, as much as possible, to select Americans, 
so as to secure an ascendency of Amwican in- 
fluence in the management of the company, and 
to make it decidely national. 

Accordingly, Mr. John Clarke, the partner 
who took the lead in the present expedition, was 
a native of the United States, though he had 
passed much of his life in the northwest, having 
been employed in the trade since the age of six- 
teen. Most of the clerks were young gentlemen 
of good connections in the American cities, some 
of whom embarked in the hoj)e of gain, others 
through the mere spirit of adventure incident to 
youth. 



PROPOSED TRIP OF THE BEAVER. 437 

The instructions given by Mr. Astor to Captain 
Sowle, the commander of the Beaver, were, in 
some respects, hypothetical, in consequence of the 
uncertainty resting upon the previous steps of the 
enterprise. 

He was to touch at the Sandwich Islands, in- 
quire about the fortunes of the Tonquin, and 
whether an establishment had been formed at the 
mouth of the Columbia. If so, he was to take 
as many Sandwich Islanders as his ship would 
accommodate, and proceed thither. On arriving 
at the river, he was to observe great caution, for 
even if an establishment should have been formed, 
it might have fallen into hostile hands. He was, 
therefore, to put in as if by casualty or distress, 
to give himself out as a coasting trader, and to 
say nothuig about his ship being owned by Mr. 
Astor, until he had ascertained that everything 
was right. In that case, he was to land such part 
of his cargo as was intended for the establishment, 
and to proceed to New Archangel with the sup- 
plies intended for the Russian post at that place, 
where he could receive peltries in payment. With 
these he was to return to Astoria ; take in the 
furs collected there, and, having completed his 
cargo by trading along the coast, was to proceed 
to Canton. The captain received the same in- 
junctions that had been given to Captain Thorn 
of the Tonquin, of great caution and circumspec- 
tion in his intercourse with the natives, and that 
he should not permit more than one or two to be 
on board at a time. 

The Beaver sailed from New York on the 10th 



438 ASTORIA. 

of October, 1811, and reached the Sandwich 
Islands without any occurrence of moment. Here 
a rumor was heard of the disastrous fate of the 
Tonquin. Deep soUcitude was felt by every 
one on board for the fate of both exjDeditions, 
by sea and land. Doubts were entertained 
whether any establishment had been formed at 
the mouth of the Columbia, or whether any 
of the company would be found there. After 
much deliberation, the captain took twelve 
Sandwich Islanders on board, for the service of 
the factory, should there be one in existence, 
and proceeded on his voyage. 

On the 6th of May, he arrived off the mouth 
of the Columbia, and running as near as possible, 
fired two signal-guns. No answer was returned, 
nor was there any signal to be descried. Night 
coming on, the ship stood out to sea, and every 
heart drooped as the land faded away. On the fol- 
lowing morning they again ran in within four miles 
of the shore, and fired other signal guns, but still 
without reply. A boat was then dispatched, to 
sound the channel, and attempt an entrance ; but 
returned without success, there being a tremen- 
dous swell, and breakers. Signal guns were fired 
again in the evening, but equally in vain, and once 
more the ship stood off" to sea for the night. The 
captain now gave up all hope of finding any 
establishment at the place, and indulged in the 
most gloomy apprehensions. He feared his pre- 
decessors had been massacred before they had 
reached their place of destination ; or if they 
should have erected a factory, that it had been 
surprised and destroyed by the natives. 



AT THE MOUTH OF TEE COLUMBIA. 439 

In this moment of doubt and uncertainty, 
Mr. Clarke announced liis determination, in case 
of the worst, to found an establishment with 
the present party, and all hands bravely engaged 
to stand by him in the undertaking. The next 
morning the ship stood m for the third time, and 
fired three signal guns, but with little hope of 
reply. To the great joy of the crew, three 
distinct guns were heard in answer. The appre- 
hensions of all but Captain Sowle were now at 
rest. That cautious commander recollected the 
instructions given him by Mr. Astor, and deter- 
mined to proceed with great circumspection. He 
was well aware of Indian treachery and cunnino-. 
It was not impossible, he observed, that these 
cannon might have been fired by the savages 
themselves. They might have surprised the fort, 
massacred its inmates ; and these signal guns 
might only be decoys to lure him across the bar, 
that they might have a chance of cutting him 
off, and seizing his vessel. 

At length a white flag was descried hoisted as 
a signal on Cape Disappointment. The passen- 
gers pointed to it in triumph, but the captain did 
not yet dismiss his doubts. A beacon fire blazed 
through the night on the same place, but the 
captain observed that all these signals might be 
treacherous. 

On the following morning, May 9th, the vessel 
came to anchor off Cape Disappointment, outside 
of the bar. Towards noon an Indian canoe was 
seen making for the ship and all hands were 
ordered to be on the alert. A few moments 



440 ASTORIA. 

afterwards, a barge was perceived following the 
canoe. The hopes and fears of those on board 
of the ship were in tumultuous agitation, as the 
boat drew nisfh that was to let them know the 
fortimes of the enterprise, and the fate of their 
predecessors. The captain, who was haunted 
with the idea of possible treachery, did not suffer 
his curiosity to get the better of his caution, but 
ordered a party of his men under arms, to receive 
the visitors. The canoe came first alongside, in 
which were Comcomly and six Indians ; in the 
barge were M'Dougal, M'Lellan, and eight Cana- 
dians. A little conversation with these gentlemen 
dispelled all the captain's fears, and the Beaver 
crossing the bar under their pilotage, anchored 
safely in Baker's Bay. 





CHAPTER XLIIT. 

The arrival of the Beaver with a reinforce- 
ment and supplies, gave new life and vigor to 
affairs at Astoria. These were means for ex- 
tending the operations of the establishment, and 
founding interior trading posts. Two parties were 
immediately set on foot to proceed severally under 
the command of Messrs. M'Kenzie and Clarke, and 
establish posts above the forks of the Columbia, 
at points where most rivalry and opposition were 
apprehended from the Northwest Company. 

A third party, headed by Mr. David Stuart, 
was to repair with supplies to the post of that 
gentleman on the Oakinagan. In addition to 
these expeditions, a fourth was necessary to con- 
vey dispatches to Mr. Astor, at New York, in 
place of those unfortunately lost by John Reed. 
The safe conveyance of these dispatches was 
highly important, as by them Mr. Astor would 
receive an account of the state of the factory, and 
regulate his reinforcements and supplies accord- 
ingly. The mission was one of peril and hardship 
and required a man of nerve and vigor. It was 
confided to Robert Stuart, who, though he had 
never been across the mountains, and a very young 
man, had given proofs of liis competency to the 



442 ASTORIA. 

task. Four trusty and well-tried men, who had 
come overland in Mr. Hunt's expedition, were 
given as his guides and hunters. These were 
Ben Jones and John Day, the Kentuckians, and 
Andri Vallar and Francis Le Clerc, Canadians. 
Mr. M'Lellan again expressed his determination 
to take this opportunity of returning to the At- 
lantic States. In this he was joined by Mr. 
Crooks, who, notwithstanding all that he had 
suffered in the dismal journey of the preceding 
winter, was ready to retrace his steps and brave 
every danger and hardship, rather than remain at 
Astoria. This little handful of adventurous men 
we propose to accompany in its long and perilous 
peregrinations. 

The several parties we have mentioned all set 
off in company on the 29th of June, under a sa- 
lute of cannon from the fort. They were to keep 
together for mutual protection through the pirat- 
ical passes of the river, and to separate, on their 
different destinations, at the forks of the Co- 
lumbia. Their number, collectively, was nearly 
sixty, consisting of partners and clerks, Canadian 
voyageurs. Sandwich Islanders, and American 
hunters ; and they embarked in two barges and 
ten canoes. 

They had scarcely got under way, when John 
Day, the Kentucky hunter, became restless and 
uneasy, and extremely wayward in his deport- 
ment. This caused surprise, for in general he 
was remarkable for his cheerful, manly deport- 
ment. It was supposed that the recollection of 
past sufferings might harass his mind in under- 



JOHN DATS INSANITY. 443 

taking to retrace the scenes where they had been 
experienced. As the expedition advanced, how- 
ever, his agitation increased. He began to talk 
wildly and incoherently, and to show manifest 
symptoms of derangement. 

Mr. Crooks now informed his companions that 
in his desolate wanderings through the Snake 
River country during the preceding winter, in 
which he had been accompanied by John Day, 
the poor fellow's wits had been partially un- 
settled by the sufferings and horrors through 
which they had passed, and he doubted whether 
they had ever been restored to perfect sanity. 
It was still hoped that this agitation of spirit 
might pass away as they proceeded ; but, on the 
contrary, it grew more and more violent. His 
comrades endeavored to divert his mind and to 
draw him into rational conversation, but he only 
became the more exasperated, uttering wild and 
incoherent ravings. The sight of any of the na- 
tives put him in an absolute fury, and he would 
heap on them the most opprobrious epithets ; 
recollecting, no doubt, what he had suffered from 
Indian robbers. 

On the evening of the 2d of July he became 
absolutely frantic, and attempted to destroy him- 
self. Being disarmed, he sank into quietude, and 
professed the greatest remorse for the crime he 
had meditated. He then pretended to sleep, and 
having thus lulled suspicion, suddenly sprang up, 
just before daylight, seized a pair of loaded pis- 
tols, and endeavored to blow out his brains. In 
his hurry he fired too high, and the balls passed 



444 ASTORIA. 

over his head. He was instantly secured and 
placed under a guard in one of the boats. How 
to dispose of him was now the question, as it was 
impossible to keep him with the expedition. 
Fortunately Mr. Stuart met with some Indians 
accustomed to trade with Astoria. These under- 
took to conduct John Day back to the factory, 
and deliver him there in safety. It was with the 
utmost concern that his comrades saw the poor 
fellow depart ; for, independent of his invaluable 
services as a first-rate hunter, his frank and loyal 
qualities had made him a universal favorite. It 
may be as well to add that the Indians executed 
their task faithfully, and landed John Day among 
his friends at Astoria ; but his constitution was 
completely broken by the hardships he had 
undergone, and he died within a year. 

On the evening of the 6th of July the party 
arrived at the piratical pass of the river, and 
encamped at the foot of the first rapid. The 
next day, before the commencement of the por- 
tage, the greatest precautions were taken to 
guard against lurking treachery, or open attack. 
The weapons of every man were put in order, 
and his cartridge-box replenished. Each one 
wore a kind of a surcoat made of the skin of the 
elk, reaching from his neck to his knees, and 
answering the purpose of a shirt of mail, for it 
was arrow proof, and could even resist a musket 
ball at the distance of ninety yards. Thus armed 
and equipped, they posted their forces in military 
style. Five of the officers took their stations at 
each end of the portage, which was between three 



WRECKERS FOILED. 445 

and four miles in length ; a number of men 
mounted guard at short distances along the 
heights immediately overlooking the river, while 
the residue, thus protected from surprise, em- 
ployed themselves below in dragging up the 
barges and canoes, and carrying up the goods 
along the narrow margin of the rapids. With 
these precautions they all passed unmolested. The 
only accident that happened was the upsetting of 
one of the canoes, by which some of the goods 
sunk, and others floated down the stream. The 
alertness and rapacity of the hordes which infest 
these rapids, were immediately apparent. They 
pounced upon the floating merchandise with the 
keenness of regular wreckers. A bale of goods 
which landed upon one of the islands was imme- 
diately ripped open, one half of its contents 
divided among the captors, and the other half 
secreted in a lonely hut in a deep ravine. Mr. 
Robert Stuart, however, set out in a canoe with 
five men and an interpreter, ferreted out the 
wreckers in their retreat, and succeeded in 
wresting from them their booty. 

Similar precautions to those already mentioned, 
and to a still greater extent, were observed in 
passing the Long Narrows, and the falls, where 
they would be exposed to the depredations of the 
chivalry of Wish-ram, and its freebooting neigh- 
borhood. In fact, they had scarcely set their 
first watch one night, when an alarm of " In- 
dians ! " was given. " To arms " was the cry, 
and every man was at his post in an instant. 
The alarm was explained ; a war party of Sho- 



446 ASTORIA. 

shonies had surprised a canoe of the natives just 
below the encampment, had murdered four men 
and two women, and it was apprehended they 
would attack the camp. The boats and canoes 
were immediately hauled up, a breastwork was 
made of them and the packages, forming three sides 
of a square, with the river in the rear, and thus 
the party remained fortified throughout the night. 

The dawn, however, dispelle I the alarm ; the 
portage was conducted in peaco ; the vagabond 
warriors of the vicinity hovered about them 
while at work, but were kept at a wary distance. 
They regarded the loads of merchandise with 
wistful eyes, but seeing the " long-beards " so 
formidable in number, and so well prepared for 
action, they made no attempt either by open 
force or sly pilfering to collect their usual toll, 
but maintained a peaceful demeanor, and were 
afterwards rewarded for their good conduct with 
presents of tobacco. 

Fifteen days were consumed in ascending 
from the foot of the first rapid to the head of 
the falls, a distance of about eighty miles, but 
full of all kinds of obstructions. Having hap- 
pily accomplished these difficult portages, the 
party, on the 19th of July, arrived at a smoother 
part of the river, and pursued their way up the 
stream with greater speed and facility. 

They were now in the neighborhood where 
Mr. Crooks and John Day had been so per- 
fidiously robbed and stripped a few months pre- 
viously, when confiding in the proffered hospi- 
tality of a ruffian band. On landing at night, 



STOLEN PROPERTY RECOVERED. 447 

therefore, a vigilant guard was maintained about 
the camp. On the following morning a number 
of Indians made their appearance, and came 
prowling round the party while at breakfast. 
To his great delight, Mr. Crooks recognized 
among them two of the miscreants by whom he 
had been robbed. They were instantly seized, 
bound hand and foot, and thrown into one of 
the canoes. Here they lay in doleful fright, 
expecting summary execution. Mr. Crooks, how- 
ever, was not of a revengeful disposition, and 
agreed to release the culprits as soon as the 
pillaged property should be restored. Several 
savages immediately started off in different di- 
rections, and before night the rifles of Crooks 
and Day were produced ; several of the smaller 
articles pilfered from them, however, could not 
be recovered. 

The bands of the culprits were then removed, 
and they lost no time in taking their departure, 
still under the influence of abject terror, and 
scarcely crediting their senses that they had es- 
caped the merited punishment of their offenses. 

The country on each side of the river now 
began to assume a different character. The hills, 
and cliffs, and forests disappeared ; vast sandy 
plains, scantily clothed here and there with short 
tufts of grass, parched by the summer sun, 
stretched far away to the north and south. The 
river was occasionally obstructed with rocks and 
rapids, but often there were smooth, placid in- 
tervals, where the current was gentle, and the 
boatmen were enabled to lighten their labors with 
the assistance of the sail. 



448 ASTORIA. 

The natives in this part of the river resided 
entirely on the northern side. They were hun- 
ters, as well as fishermen, and had horses in 
plenty. Some of these were purchased by the 
party, as provisions, and killed on the spot, 
though they occasionally found a difficulty in 
procuring fuel wherewith to cook them. One 
of the greatest dangers that beset the travellers 
in this part of their expedition, was the vast 
number of rattlesnakes which infested the rocks 
about the rapids and portages, and on which the 
men were in danger of treading. They were 
often found, too, in quantities about the encamp- 
ments. In one place, a nest of them lay coiled 
together, basking in the sun. Several guns 
loaded with shot were discharged at them, and 
thirty-seven killed and wounded. To prevent 
any unwelcome visits from them in the night, 
tobacco was occasionally strewed around the 
tents, a weed for which they have a very proper 
abhorrence. 

On the 28th of July the travellers arrived at 
the mouth of the Wallah-Wallah, a bright, clear 
stream, about six feet deep, and fifty-five yards 
wide, which flows rapidly over a bed of sand 
and gravel, and throws itself into the Columbia, 
a few miles below Lewis River. Here the com- 
bined parties that had thus far voyaged together, 
were to separate, each for its particular destina- 
tion. 

On the banks of the Wallah- Wallah, lived 
the hospitable tribe of the same name who had 
succored Mr. Crooks and John Day in the time 



EQUESTRIAN EQUIPMENTS. 449 

of their extremity. No sooner did they hear of 
the arrival of the party, than they hastened to 
areet them. They built a great bonfire on the 
bank of the river, before the camp, and men and 
women danced round it to the cadence of their 
songs, in which they sang the praises of the 
white men, and welcomed them to their country. 

On the following day a traffic was commenced, 
to procure horses for such of the party as in- 
tended to proceed by land. The Wallah-Wallahs 
are an equestrian tribe. The equipments of 
their horses were rude and inconvenient. High 
saddles, roughly made of deer-skin, stuffed with 
hair, which chafe the horse's back and leave it 
raw ; wooden stirrups, with a thong of raw hide 
wrapped round them ; and for bridles they have 
cords of twisted horse-hair, which they tie round 
the under jaw. They are, like most Indians, 
bold but hard riders, and when on horseback 
gallop about the most dangerous places, without 
fear for themselves, or pity for their steeds. 

From these people Mr. Stuart purchased 
twenty horses for his party ; some for the sad- 
dle, and others to transport the baggage. He 
was fortunate in procuring a noble animal for 
his own use, which was praised by the Indians 
for its great speed and bottom, and a high price 
set upon it. No people understand better the 
value of a horse, than these equestrian tribes ; 
and nowhere is speed a greater requisite, as they 
frequently engage in the chase of the antelope, 
one of the fleetest of animals. Even after the 
Indian who sold this boasted horse to Mr, Stuart 

29 



450 ASTORIA. 

had concluded his bargain, he lingered about the 
animal, seeming loth to part from him, and to be 
sorry for what he had done. 

A day or two were employed by Mr, Stuart 
in arranging packages and pack-saddles, and 
making other preparations for his long and ar- 
duous journey. His party, by the loss of John 
Day was now reduced to six, a small number 
for such an expedition. They were young men, 
however, full of courage, health, and good spir- 
its, and stimulated rather than appalled by dan- 
ger. 

On the morning of the 31st of July, all prep- 
arations being concluded, Mr. Stuart and his 
little band mounted their steeds and took a 
farewell of their fellow-travellers, who gave 
them three hearty cheers as they set out on 
their dangerous journey. The course they took 
was to the southeast, towards the fated region 
of the Snake River. At an immense distance 
rose a chain of craggy mountains, which they 
would have to traverse ; they were the same 
among which the travellers had experienced such 
sufFerino-s from cold during the precedins: winter, 
and from their azure tints, when seen at a dis- 
tance, had received the name of the Blue Moun- 
tains. 




CHAPTER XLIV. 

N retracing the route wliich had proved 
so disastrous to Mr. Hunt's party dur- 
>^^.y^1l ing the preceding winter, Mr. Stuart had 
trusted, in the present more favorable season, to 
find easy travelling and abundant supplies. On 
these great wastes and wilds, however, each sea- 
son has its peculiar hardships. The travellers 
had not proceeded far, before they found them- 
selves among naked and arid hills, with a soil 
composed of sand and clay, baked and brittle, 
that to all appearance had never been visited by 
the dews of heaven. 

Not a spring, or jdooI, or running stream was 
to be seen ; the sunburnt country was seamed 
and cut up by dry ravines, the beds of winter 
torrents, serving only to balk the hopes of man 
and beast with the sight of dusty channels, where 
water had once poured along in floods. 

For a long summer day they continued onward 
without halting, a burning sky above their heads, 
a parched desert beneath their feet, with just 
wind enough to raise the light sand from the 
knolls, and envelop them in stifling clouds. 
The sufferings from thirst became intense ; a 
fine young dog, their only companion of the 
kind, gave out, and expired. Evening drew on 



452 ASTORIA. 

without any prospect of relief, and they were 
almost reduced to despair, when they descried 
something that looked like a fringe of forest, 
along the horizon. All were inspired with new 
hope, for they knew that on these arid wastes, 
m the neighborhood of trees, there is always 
water. 

They now quickened then- pace ; the horses 
seemed to understand their motives, and to par- 
take of their anticipations ; for, though before 
almost ready to give out, they now required 
neither whip nor spur. With all their exertions, 
it was late in the night before they drew near 
to the trees. As they approached, they heard, 
with transport, the rippling of a shallow stream. 
No sooner did the refreshing sound reach the 
ears of the horses, than the poor animals snuffed 
the air, rushed forward with unwvernable easier- 
ness, and plunging their muzzles into the water, 
drank until they seemed in danger of bursting. 
Their riders had but little more discretion, and 
required repeated draughts to quench their ex- 
cessive thirst. Their weary march that day had 
been forty-five miles, over a tract that might rival 
the deserts of Africa for aridity. Indeed, the 
sufferings of the traveller on these American des- 
erts is frequently more severe than in the wastes 
of Africa or Asia, from being less habituated and 
prepared to cope with them. 

On the banks of this blessed stream the trav- 
ellers encamped for the night ; and so great had 
been their fatigue, and so sound and sweet was 
their sleep, that it was a late hour the next morn- 



GLEN AND MOUNTAIN 453 

ing before they awoke. They now recognized 
the little river to be the Umatalla, the same on 
the banks of which Mr. Hunt and his followers 
had arrived after their painful struggle through 
the Blue Mountains, and experienced such a 
kind relief in the friendly camp of the Sciatogas. 

That range of Blue Mountains now extended 
in the distance before them ; they were the same 
among which poor INIichael Carriere had perished. 
They form the southeast boundary of the great 
plains along the Columbia, dividing the waters 
of its main stream from those of Lewis River. 
They are, m fact, a part of a long chain, which 
stretches over a great extent of country, and 
includes in its links the Snake River Moun- 
tains. 

The day was somewhat advanced before the 
travellers left the shady banks of the Umatalla. 
Their route gradually took them among the Blue 
Mountains, which assumed the most rugfffed as- 
pect on a near approach. They were shagged 
with dense and gloomy forests, and cut up by 
deep and precipitous ravines, extremely toilsome 
to the horses. Sometimes the travellers had to 
follow the course of some brawling stream, with 
a broken, rocky bed, which the shouldering cliffs 
and promontories on either side obliged them 
frequently to cross and recross. For some miles 
they struggled forward through these savage and 
darkly wooded defiles, when all at once the whole 
landscape changed, as if by magic. The rude 
mountains and rugged ravmes softened into 
beautiful liills, and intervening meadows, with 



454 ASTORIA. 

rivulets winding through fresh herbage, and 
sparkling and murmuring over gravelly beds, 
the whole forming a verdant and pastoral scene, 
which derived additional charms from being 
locked up in the bosom of such a hard-hearted 
region. 

Emerofinof from the chain of Blue Mountains, 
they descended upon a vast plain, almost a dead 
level, sixty miles in circumference, of excellent 
soil, with fine streams meandering through it in 
every direction, their courses marked out in the 
wide landscape by ser^^entine lines of cotton -wood 
trees, and willows, which fringed their banks, and 
afforded sustenance to great numbers of beavers 
and otters. 

In traversing this plain, they passed, close to 
the skirts of the hills, a great pool of water, 
three hundred yards in circumference, fed by a 
sulphur spring, about ten feet in diameter, boiling 
up in one corner. The vapor from this pool 
was extremely noisome, and tainted the air for a 
considerable distance. The place was much fre- 
quented by elk, which were found in considerable 
numbers in the adjacent mountains, and their 
horns, shed in the spring-time, were strewed in 
every direction around the pond. 

On the lOtli of August, they reached the main 
body of Woodvile Creek, the same stream which 
Mr. Hunt had ascended in the precedmg year, 
shortly after his separation from Mr. Crooks. 

On the banks of tliis stream they saw a herd 
of nineteen antelopes ; a sight so unusual' in that 
part of the country, that at first they doubted 



NEWS OF STRAGGLERS. 455 

the evidence of their senses. They tried by 
every means to get within shot of them, but they 
were too shy and fleet, and after alternately 
bounding to a distance, and then stopping to gaze 
with capricious curiosity at the hunter, they at 
length scampered out of sight. 

On the 12th of August, the travellers arrived 
on the banks of Snake River, the scene of so 
many trials and mishaps to all of the present 
party excepting Mr. Stuart. They struck the 
river just above the place where it entered the 
mountains, through which Messrs. Stuart and 
Crooks had vainly endeavored to find a passage. 
The river was here a rapid stream, four hundred 
yards in width, with high sandy banks, and here 
and there a scanty growth of willow. Up the 
southern side of the river they now bent their 
course, intending to visit the caches made by IMr. 
Hunt at the Caldron Linn. 

On the second evening, a solitary Snake In- 
dian visited their camp, at a late hour, and 
informed them that there was a wliite man re- 
siding at one of the cantonments of his tribe, 
about a day's journey higher up the river. It 
was immediately concluded, that he must be one 
of the poor fellows of Mr. Hunt's party, who had 
given out, exhausted by hunger and fatigue, in 
the wretched journey of the preceding winter. 
All present who had borne a part in the suffer- 
ings of that journey, were eager now to press 
forward, and bring relief to a lost comrade. 
Early the next morning, therefore, they pushed 
forward with unusual alacrity. For two days, 



456 ASTORIA. 

however, did they travel without being able to 
find any trace of such a straggler. 

On the evening of the second day, they ar- 
rived at a place where a large river came in from 
the east, which was renowned among all the 
wandering hordes of the Snake nation for its 
salmon fishery, that fish being taken in incredible 
quantities in this neighborhood. Here, therefore, 
during the fishing season, the Snake Indians 
resort from far and near, to lay in their stock of 
salmon, which, with esculent roots, forms the 
principal food of the inhabitants of these barren 
regions. 

On the bank of a small stream emptying into 
Snake River at this place, Mr. Stuart found an 
encampment of Shoshonies. He made the usual 
inquiry of them concerning the white man of 
whom he had received intelligence. No such 
person was dwelling among them, but they said 
there were white men residing with some of their 
nation on the opposite side of the river. This 
was still more animating information. Mr. Crooks 
now hoped that these might be the men of his 
party, who, disheartened by perils and hardships, 
had preferred to remain among the Indians. 
Others thought they might be Mr. Miller and 
the hunters who had left the main body at Henry's 
Fort, to trap among the mountain streams. Mr. 
Stuart halted, therefore, in the neighborhood of 
the Shoshonie lodges, and sent an Indian across 
the river to seek out the white men in question, 
and bring them to his camp. 

The travellers passed a restless, miserable 



AN UNWELCOME CLAIMANT. 457 

night. The place swarmed with myriads of mus- 
quitoes, which, with their stings and their music, 
set all sleep at defiance. The morning dawn 
found them in a feverish, irritable mood, and their 
spleen was completely aroused by the return of 
the Indian without any intelligence of the white 
men. They now considered themselves the dupes 
of Indian falsehoods, and resolved to put no more 
confidence in Snakes. They soon, however, for- 
got this resolution. In the course of the morn- 
ing, an Indian came galloping after them; Mr. 
Stuart waited to receive him ; no sooner had he 
come up, than, dismounting and throwing his arms 
round the neck of Mr. Stuart's horse, he began 
to kiss and caress the animal, who, on his part, 
seemed by no means surprised or displeased with 
his salutation. Mr. Stuart, who valued his horse 
highly, was somewhat annoyed by these trans- 
ports ; the cause of them was soon explained. 
The Snake said the horse had belonged to him, 
and been the best in his possession, and that it 
had been stolen by the Wallah- Wallahs. Mr. 
Stuart was by no means pleased with this recog- 
nition of his steed, nor disj^osed to admit any 
claim on the part of its ancient owner. In fact, 
it was a noble animal, admirably shaped, of free 
and generous spirit, graceful in movement, and 
fleet as an antelope. It was his intention, if 
possible, to take the horse to New York, and 
present him to Mr. Astor. 

In the mean time, some of the party came up, 
and immediately recognized in the Snake an old 
friend and ally. He was, in fact, one of the two 



458 ASTORIA. 

guides who had conducted Mr. Hunt's party, in 
the preceding autumn, across Mad River Moun- 
tain to Fort Henr}^, and who subsequently 
departed with Mr. Miller and his fellow trap23ers, 
to conduct them to a good trapping ground. 
The reader may recollect that these two trusty 
Snakes were engaged by Mr. Hunt to return 
and take charge of the horses which the party 
intended to leave at Fort Henry, when they 
should embark in canoes. 

The party now crowded round the vSnake, and 
began to question him with eagerness. His 
replies were somewhat vague, and but partially 
understood. He told a long story about the 
horses, from which it appeared that they had 
been stolen by various wandering bands, and 
scattered in different directions. The cache, too, 
had been plundered, and the saddles and other 
equipments carried off. His information con- 
cerning Mr. Miller and his comrades was not 
more satisfactory. They had trapped for some 
time about the iqDper streams, but had fallen 
into the hands of a marauding party of Crows, 
who had robbed them of horses, weapons, and 
everything. 

Further questioning brought forth further in- 
telligence, but all of a disastrous kind. About 
ten days previously, he had met with three 
other white men, in very miserable plight, having 
one horse each, and but one rifle among them. 
They also had been plundered and maltreated 
by the Crows, those universal freebooters. The 
Snake endeavored to pronounce the names of 



THE SNAKE'S STRATAGEM. 459 

these three men, and as far as his imperfect 
sounds could be understood, they were supposed 
to be three of the party of four hunters, namely, 
Carson, St. Michael, Detaye, and Delaunay, 
who were detached from Mr. Hunt's party on 
the 28th of September, to trap beaver on the 
head waters of the Columbia. 

In the course of conversation, the Indian in- 
formed them that the route by which Mr. Hunt 
had crossed the Rocky Mountains was very bad 
and circuitous, and that he knew one much shorter 
and easier. Mr. Stuart urged him to accompany 
them as guide, promising to reward him with a 
pistol with powder and ball, a knife, an awl, some 
blue beads, a blanket, and a looking-glass. Such 
a catalogue of riches was too tempting to be re- 
sisted ; beside the poor Snake languished after 
the prairies ; he was tired, he said, of salmon, 
and longed for buffalo meat, and to have a grand 
buffalo hunt beyond the mountains. He departed, 
therefore, with all speed, to get liis arms and 
equipments for the journe}^, promising to rejoin 
the party the next day. He kept his word, and, 
as he no longer said anytliing to Mr. Stuart on 
the subject of the pet horse, they journeyed very 
harmoniously together ; though now and then, 
the Snake would regard his quondam steed with 
a wistful eye. 

They had not travelled many miles, when they 
came to a great bend in the river. Here the 
Snake informed them that, by cutting across the 
hills they would save many miles of distance. 
The route across, however, would be a good day's 



460 ASTORIA. 

journey. He advised them, therefore, to encamp 
here for the night, and set off early in the morn- 
ing. They took his advice, though they had 
come but nine miles that day. 

On the following morning they rose, bright 
and early, to ascend the hills. On mustering 
their little party, the guide was missing. They 
supposed him to be somewhere in the neighbor- 
hood, and proceeded to collect the horses. The 
vaunted steed of Mr. Stuart was not to be found. 
A suspicion flashed upon his mind. Search for 
the horse of the Snake ! He Hkewise was gone 
— the tracks of two horses, one after the other, 
were found, making off from the camp. They 
appeared as if one horse had been mounted, and 
the other led. They were traced for a few miles 
above the camp, until they both crossed the river. 
It was plain the Snake had taken an Indian mode 
of recovering his horse, having quietly decamped 
with him in the night. 

New vows were made never more to trust in 
Snakes, or any other Indians. It was deter- 
mined, also, to maintain, hereafter, the strictest 
vigilance over their horses, dividing the night into 
three watches, and one person mounting guard at 
a time. They resolved, also, to keejD along the 
river, instead of taking the short cut recommend- 
ed by the fugitive Snake, whom they now set 
down for a thorough deceiver. The heat of the 
weather was oppressive, and their horses were, 
at times, rendered almost frantic by the stings of 
the prairie flies. The nights were suffocating, 
and it was almost impossible to sleep, from the 
swarms of musquitoes. 



MEETING WITH LOST COMRADES. 461 

On the 20th of August they resumed their 
march, keeping along the prairie parallel to Snake 
River. The day was sultry, and some of the 
party, being parched with thirst, left the line of 
march, and scrambled down the bank of the 
river to drink. The bank was overhung with 
willows, beneath which, to their surprise, they 
beheld a man fishing. No sooner did he see 
them, than he uttered an exclamation of joy. It 
proved to be John Hoback, one of their lost 
comrades. They had scarcely exchanged greet- 
ings, when three other men came out from among 
the willows. They were Joseph Miller, Jacob 
Rezner, and Robinson, the scalped Kentuckian, 
the veteran of the Bloody Ground. 

The reader will perhaps recollect the abrupt 
and willful manner in which IVIi-. Miller threw up 
his mterest as a partner of the company, and de- 
parted from Fort Henry, in company with these 
three trappers, and a fourth, named Cass. He 
may likewise recognize in Robinson, Rezner, and 
Hoback, the trio of Kentucky hunters who had 
originally been in the service of Mr. Henry, and 
whom Mr. Hunt found floating down the Missouri, 
on their way homeward ; and prevailed upon, once 
more, to cross the mountains. The haggard looks 
and naked condition of these men proved how 
much they had suffered. After leaving Mr. Hunt's 
party, they had made their way about two hundred 
miles to the southward, where they trapped beaver 
on a river which, according to their account, dis- 
charged itself into the ocean to the south of the 
Columbia, but which we apprehend to be Bear 



462 ASTORIA. 

River, a stream emptying itself into Lake Bonne- 
ville, an immense body of salt water, west of the 
Rocky Mountains. 

Having collected a considerable quantity of 
beaver skins, they made them into packs, loaded 
their horses, and steered two hundred miles due 
east. Here they came upon an encampment of 
sixty lodges of Arapahays, an outlawed band of the 
Arrapahoes, and notorious robbers. These fell 
upon the poor trappers; robbed them of their 
peltries, most of their clothing, and several of 
their horses. They were glad to escape with 
their lives, and without being entirely stripped, 
and after proceeding about fifty miles further, made 
their halt for the winter. 

Early in the spring they resumed their way- 
faring, but were unluckily overtaken by the same 
ruffian horde, who levied still further contributions, 
and carried off the remainder of their horses, ex- 
cepting two. With these they continued on, suf- 
fering the greatest hardships. They still retained 
rifles and ammunition, but were in a desert coun- 
try, where neither bird nor beast was to be found. 
Their only chance was to keep along the rivers 
and subsist by fishing ; but at times no fish were 
to be taken, and then their sufferings were hor- 
rible. One of their horses was stolen among the 
mountains by the Snake Indians ; the other, they 
said, was carried off by Cass, who, according to 
their account, " villainously left them in their ex- 
tremities." Certain dark doubts and surmises 
were afterwards circulated concerning the fate of 
that poor fellow, which, if true, showed to what a 



MR. MILLER TURNS HOMEWARD. 463 

desperate state of famine his comrades had been 
reduced. 

Being now completely unhorsed, Mr. Miller 
and his three companions wandered on foot for 
several hundred miles, enduring hunger, thirst, 
and fatigue, while traversing the barren wastes 
which abound beyond the Rocky Mountains. At 
the time they were discovered by Mr. Stuart's 
party, they were almost famished, and were fish- 
ing for a precarious meal. Had Mr. Stuart made 
the short cut across the hills, avoiding this bend 
of the river, or had not some of his party ac- 
cidentally gone down to the margin of the stream 
to drink, these poor wanderers might have re- 
mained undiscovered, and have perishecj in the 
wilderness. Nothing could exceed their joy on 
thus meeting with their old comrades, or the 
heartiness with which they were welcomed. All 
hands immediately encamped ; and the slender 
stores of the party were ransacked to furnish out 
a suitable regale. 

The next morning they all set out together ; 
Mr. Miller and his comrades being resolved to 
give up the life of a trapper, and accompany 
Mr. Stuart back to St. Louis. 

For several days they kept along the course 
of Snake River, occasionally making short cuts 
across hills and promontories, where there were 
bends in the stream. In their way they passed 
several camps of Shoshonies, from some of whom 
they procured salmon, but in general they were 
too wretchedly poor to furnish anything. It was 
the wish of Mr. Stuart to purchase horses for the 



464 ASTORIA. 

recent recruits of his party ; but the Indians coul I 
not be prevailed upon to part with any, alleging 
that they had not enough for their own use. 

On the 25 th of August they reached a great 
fishing j^lace, to which they gave the name of the 
Salmon Falls. Here there is a perpendicular fall 
of twenty feet on the north side of the river, 
while on the south side there is a succession of 
rapids. The salmon are taken here in incredible 
quantities, as they attempt to shoot the falls. It 
was now a favorable season, and there were about 
one hundred lodges of Shoshonies busily ei.gaged 
killing and drying fish. The salmon begin to 
leap shortly after sunrise. At this time the In- 
dians swim to the centre of the falls, where some 
station themselves on rocks, and others stand to 
their waists in the water, all armed with spears, 
with which they assail the salmon as they attempt 
to leap, or fall back exhausted. It is an incessant 
slaughter, so great is the throng of the fish. 

The construction of the spears thus used is 
peculiar. The head is a straight piece of elk 
horn, about seven inches long, on the point of 
which an artificial barb is made fast, with twine 
well gummed. The head is stuck on the end of 
the shaft, a very long pole of willow, to which it 
is likewise connected by a strong cord, a few inches 
in length. When the spearsman makes a sure 
blow, he often strikes the head of the spear 
through the body of the fish. It comes off easily, 
and leaves the salmon struggling with the string 
through its body, while the pole is still held by 
the spearsman. Were it not for the precaution 



THE RIFLED CACHES. 465 

of the string, the willow shaft would be snapped 
by the struggles and the weight of the fish. Mr. 
Miller, in the course of his wanderings, had been 
at these falls, and had seen several thousand sal- 
mon taken in the course of one afternoon. He 
declared that he had seen a salmon leap a distance 
of about thirty feet, from the commencement of 
the foam at the foot of the fall, completely to the 
top. 

Having purchased a good supply of salmon 
from the fishermen, the party resumed their 
journey, and on the twenty-ninth, arrived at the 
Caldi'on Linn, the eventful scene of the preceding 
autumn. Here, the first thing that met their eyes 
was a memento of the perplexities of that period ; 
the wreck of a canoe, lodged between two ledges 
of rocks. They endeavored to get down to it, 
but the river banks were too high and precipitous. 

They now proceeded to that part of the neighbor- 
hood where Mr. Hunt and his party had made 
the caches, intending to take from them such ar- 
ticles as belonged to Mr. Crooks, M'Lellan, and 
the Canadians. On reaching the spot, they found, 
to their astonishment, six of the caches open and 
rifled of their contents, exce^Dting a few books 
which lay scattered about the vicinity. They had 
the appearance of having been plundered in the 
course of the summer. There were tracks of 
wolves in every direction, to and from the holes, 
from which Mr. Stuart concluded that these an- 
imals had first been attracted to the place by the 
smell of the skins contained in the caches, which 



466 ASTORIA. 

they had probably torn up, and that their tracks 
had betrayed the secret to the Indians. 

The three remaining caches had not been mo- 
lested : they contained a few dry goods, some am- 
munition, and a number of beaver traps. From 
these Mr. Stuart took whatever was requisite for 
his party ; he then deposited within them all his 
superfluous baggage, and all the books and papers 
scattered around ; the holes were then carefully 
closed up, and all traces of them effaced. And 
here we have to record another instance of the 
indomitable spirit of the western trappers. No 
sooner did the trio of Kentucky hunters, Robin- 
son, Rezner, and Hoback, find that they could 
once more be fitted out for a campaign of beaver- 
trapping, than they forgot all that they had suf- 
fered, and determined upon another trial of their 
fortunes ; preferring to take their chance in the 
wilderness, rather than return home ragged and 
penniless. As to Mr. Miller, he declared his 
curiosity and his desire of travelling through the 
Indian countries fully satisfied ; he adhered to his 
determination, therefore, to keep on with the party 
to St. Louis, and to return to the bosom of civil- 
ized society. 

The three hunters, therefore, Robinson, Rezner, 
and Hoback, were furnished, as far as the caches 
and the means of Mr. Stuart's party afforded, 
with the requisite munitions and equipments for 
a " two years' hunt ; " but as their fitting out was 
yet incomplete, they resolved to wait in this 
neighborhood until Mr. Reed should arrive ; whose 
arrival might soon be expected, as he was to set 



THE PERSEVERING TRAPPERS. 467 

out for the caches about twenty clays after Mr. 
Stuart parted with him at the Wallah- Wallah 
River. 

Mr. Stuart gave in charge to Eobinson a letter 
to Mr. Reed, reporting his safe journey thus far, 
and the state in which he had found the caches. 
A duplicate of this letter he elevated on a pole, 
and set it up near the place of deposit. 

All things being thus arranged, Mr. Stuart and 
his little band, now seven in number, took leave of 
the three hardy trappers, wishing them all possible 
success in their lonely and perilous sojourn in the 
wilderness ; and we, in like manner, shall leave 
them to their fortunes, promising to take them up 
again at some future page, and to close the story 
of their persevering and ill-fated enterprise. 





CHAPTER XLV. 

|N the 1st of September, Mr. Stuart and 
his companions resumed their journey, 
bending their course eastward, along the 
course of Snake River. As they advanced, the 
country opened. The hills which had hemmed in 
the river receded on either hand, and great sandy 
and dusty plains extended before them. Occa- 
sionally there were intervals of pasturage, and 
the banks of the river were fringed with wil- 
lows and cotton-wood, so that its course might be 
traced from the hill-tops, winding under an umbra- 
geous covert, through a wide sunburnt landscape. 
The soil, however, was generally poor ; there was 
in some places a miserable growth of worm- 
wood, and a plant called saltweed, resembling 
pennyroyal ; but the summer had parched the 
plains, and left but little pasturage. The game, 
too, had disappeared. The hunter looked in vain 
over the lifeless landscape ; now and then a few 
antelope might be seen, but not within reach of 
the rifle. We forbear to follow the travellers in a 
week's wandering over these barren wastes, where 
they suffered much from hunger, having to de- 
pend upon a few fish from the streams, and now 
and then a little dried salmon, or a dog, procured 
from some forlorn lodge of Shoshonies. 



A CROW GIANT AND EJS GANG. 469 

Tired of these cheerless wastes, they left the 
banks of Snake River on the 7th of September, 
under guidance of Mr. Miller, who having ac- 
quired some knowledge of the country during his 
trapping campaign, undertook to conduct them 
across the mountains by a better route than that 
by Fort Henry, and one more out of the range 
of the Blackfeet. He proved, however, but an 
indifferent guide, and they soon became bewil- 
dered among rugged hills and unknown streams, 
and burnt and barren prairies. 

At length they came to a river on which Mr. 
Miller had trapped, and to which they gave his 
name ; though, as before observed, we presume 
it to be the same called Bear River, which 
empties itself into Lake Bonneville. Up this 
river and its branches they kept for two or three 
days, supporting themselves precariously upon 
fish. They soon found that they were in a 
dangerous neighborhood. On the 12th of Sep- 
tember, having encamped early, they sallied forth 
with their rods to angle for their supper. On 
returning, they beheld a number of Indians 
prowling about their camp, whom, to their infin- 
ite disquiet, they soon perceived to be Upsa- 
rokas, or Crows. Their chief came forward with 
a confident air. He was a dark herculean fellow, 
full six feet four inches in height, with a mingled 
air of the ruffian and the rogue. He conducted 
himself peaceably, however, and dispatched some 
of his people to their camp, which was some- 
where in the neighborhood, from whence they 
returned with a most acceptable supply of buffalo 



470 ASTORIA. 

meat. He now signified to Mr. Stuart that he 
was going to trade with the Snakes who reside 
on the west base of the mountains, below Henry's 
Fort. Here they cultivate a delicate kind of 
tobacco, much esteemed and sought after by the 
mountain tribes. There was a something sinis- 
ter, however, in the look of this Indian, that in- 
spired distrust. By degrees, the number of his 
people increased, until, by midnight, there were 
twenty-one of them about the camp, who began 
to be impudent and troublesome. The greatest 
uneasiness was now felt for the safety of the 
horses and effects, and every one kept vigilant 
watch throughout the night. 

The morning dawned, however, without any 
unpleasant occurrence, and Mr. Stuart, having 
purchased all the buffalo meat that the Crows had 
to spare, prepared to depart. His Indian ac- 
quaintances, however, were disposed for further 
dealings ; and above all, anxious for a supply of 
gunpowder, for which they offered horses in ex- 
change. Mr. Stuart declined to furnish them 
with the dangerous commodity. They became 
more importunate in their solicitations, until they 
met with a flat refusal. 

The gigantic chief now stepped forward, as- 
sumed a swelling air, and, slapping himself upon 
the breast, gave Mr. Crooks to understand that 
he was a chief of great power and importance. 
He signified, further, that it was customary for 
great chiefs when they met, to make each other 
presents. He requested, therefore, that Mr. 
Stuart would alight, and give him the horse 



A CROW JOKE. 471 

upon which he was mounted. This was a noble 
animal, of one of the wild races of the prairies ; 
on which Mr. Stuart set great value ; he, of 
course, shook his head at the request of the Crow 
dignitary. Upon this the latter strode up to him, 
and taking hold of him, moved him backwards 
and forwards in his saddle, as if to make him feel 
that he was a mere child within his grasp. Mr. 
Stuart preserved his calmness, and still shook his 
head. The chief then seized the bridle, and 
gave it a jerk that startled the horse, and nearly- 
brought the rider to the ground. Mr. Stuart in- 
stantly drew forth a pistol, and presented it at 
the head of the bully-ruffian. In a twinkling 
his swaggering was at an end, and he dodged 
behind his horse to escape the expected shot. 
As his subject Crows gazed on the affray from a 
little distance, Mr. Stuart ordered his men to 
level their rifles at them, but not to fire. The 
whole crew scampered among the bushes, and 
throwing themselves upon the ground, vanished 
from sight. 

The chieftain thus left alone, was confounded 
for an instant ; but, recovering himself with true 
Indian shrewdness, burst into a loud laugh, and 
affected to turn off the whole matter as a piece of 
pleasantry. Mr. Stuart by no means relished 
such equivocal joking, but it was not his policy 
to get into a quarrel; so he joined with the 
best grace he could assume in the merriment 
of the jocular giant ; and, to console the latter 
for the refusal of the horse, made him a present 
of twenty charges of powder. They parted, ac- 



472 ASTORIA. 

cording to all outward professions, the best 
friends in the world ; it was evident, however 
that nothing but the smallness of his own force, 
and the martial array and alertness of the white 
men, had prevented the Crow chief from pro- 
ceeding to open outrage. As it was, his worthy 
followers, in the course of their brief interview, 
had contrived to purloin a bag containing almost 
all the culinary utensils of the party. 

The travellers kept on their way due east, 
over a chain of hills. The recent rencontre 
showed them that they were now in a land of 
danger, subject to the wide roamings of a preda- 
cious tribe ; nor, in fact, had they gone many 
miles, before they beheld sights calculated to in- 
spire anxiety and alarm. From the summits of 
some of the loftiest mountains, in different direc- 
tions, columns of smoke began to rise. These 
they concluded to be signals made by the run- 
ners of the Crow chieftain, to summon the strag- 
glers of his band, so as to pursue them with 
greater force. Signals of this kind, made by 
out-runners from one central point, will rouse 
a wide circuit of the mountains in a wonderfully 
short space of time ; and bring the straggling 
hunters and warriors to the standard of their 
chieftain. 

To keep as much as possible out of the way 
of these freebooters, Mr. Stuart altered his 
course to the north, and, quitting the main 
stream of Miller's River, kept up a large branch 
that came in from the mountains. Here they 
encamped, after a fatiguing march of twenty-five 



WEARY DAYS AND WATCHFUL NIGHTS. 473 

miles. As the night drew on the horses were 
hobbled or fettered, and tethered close to the 
camp ; a vigilant watch was maintained until 
morning, and every one slept with his rifle on 
his arm. 

At sunrise, they were again on the march, 
still keeping to the north. They soon began to 
ascend the mountains, and occasionally had wide 
prospects over the surrounding country. Not a 
sign of a Crow was to be seen ; but this did not 
assure them of their security, well knowing the 
perseverance of these savages in dogging any 
party they intend to rob, and the stealthy way 
in which they can conceal their movements, 
keeping along ravines and defiles. After a 
mountain scramble of twenty-one miles, they en- 
camped on the margin of a stream running to 
the north. 

In the evening there was an alarm of Indians, 
and every one was instantly on the alert. They 
proved to be three miserable Snakes, who were 
no sooner informed that a band of Crows was 
prowling in the neighborhood, than they made 
off with great signs of consternation. 

A couple more of weary days and watchful 
nights brought them to a strong and rapid 
stream, running due north, which they concluded 
to be one of the upper branches of Snake River. 
It was probably the same since called Salt River. 

They determined to bend their course down 
this river, as it would take them still further out 
of the dangerous neighborhood of the Crows. 
They then would strike upon Mr. Hunt's track 



474 ASTORIA. 

of the preceding autumn, and retrace it across 
the mountains. The attempt to find a better 
route under guidance of Mr. Miller had cost 
them a large bend to the south ; in resuming 
Mr. Hunt's track, they would at least be sure 
of their road. They accordingly turned down 
along the course of this stream and at the end 
of three day's journey, came to where it was 
joined by a larger river, and assumed a more 
impetuous character, raging and roaring among 
rocks and precipices. It proved, in fact, to be 
Mad River, already noted in the expedition of 
Ml-. Hunt. On the banks of this river, they en-' 
camped on the 18th of September, at an early 
hour. 

Six days had now elapsed since their inter- 
view with the Crows ; during that time they 
had come nearly a hundred and fifty miles to 
the north and west, without seeing any signs of 
those marauders. They considered themselves, 
therefore, beyond the reach of molestation, and 
began to relax in their vigilance, lingering oc- 
casionally for part of a day, where there was 
good pasturage. The poor horses needed repose. 

They had been urged on, by forced marches, 
over ruofc^ed heights, among rocks and fallen tim- 
ber, or over low swampy valleys, inundated by 
the labors of the beaver. These industrious 
animals abounded in all the mountain streams 
and water-courses, wherever there were willows 
for their subsistence. Many of them they had 
so completely dammed up as to inundate the low 
grounds, making shallow pools or lakes, and ex- 



A SURPRISE. 475 

tensive quagmires ; by which the route of the 
travellers was often impeded. 

On the 19th of September, they rose at early 
dawn ; some began to prepare breakfast, and 
others to arrange the packs preparatory to a 
march. The horses had been hobbled, but left 
at large to graze upon the adjacent pasture. Mr. 
Stuart was on the bank of a river, at a short 
distance from the camp, when he heard the alarm 
cry — " Indians ! Indians ! — to arms ! to arms ! " 

A mounted Crow galloped past the camp, 
bearing a red flag. He reined his steed on the 
summit of a neighboring knoll, and waved his 
flaring banner. A diabolical yell now broke 
forth on the opposite side of the camp, beyond 
where the horses were grazing, and a small 
troop of savages came galloping up, whooping 
and making a terrific clamor. The horses took 
fright, and dashed across the camp in the direc- 
tion of the standard-bearer, attracted by his Avav- 
ing flag. He instantly put spurs to his steed, 
and scoured oflP followed by the panic-stricken 
herd, their fright being increased by the yells of 
the savages in their rear. 

At the first alarm, Mr. Stuart and his com- 
rades had seized their rifles, and attempted to 
cut off the Indians who were pursuing the 
horses. Their attention was instantly distrac- 
ted by whoops and yells in an opposite direction. 

They now apprehended that a reserve party 
was about to carry off their baggage. They 
ran to secure it. The reserve party, however, 
galloped by, whooping and yelling in triumph 



476 ASTORIA. 

and derision. The last of them proved to be 
their commander, the identical giant joker al- 
ready mentioned. He was not cast in the 
stern poetical mould of fashionable Indian hero- 
ism, but on the contrary, was grievously given 
to vulgar jocularity. As he passed Mr. Stuart 
and his companions, he checked his horse, raised 
himself in the saddle, and clapping his hand on 
the most insulting part of his body, uttered some 
jeering words, which, fortunately for their deli- 
cacy, they could not understand. The rifle of 
Ben Jones was leveled in an instant, and he was 
on the point of whizzing a bullet into the target 
so tauntingly displayed. " Not for your life ! not 
for your life ! " exclaimed Mr. Stuart, " you will 
bring destruction on us all ! " 

It was hard to restrain honest Ben, when the 
mark was so fair and the insult so foul. " O, 
Mr. Stuart," exclaimed he, "only let me have 
one crack at the infernal rascal, and you may 
keep all the pay that is due to me." 

" By heaven, if you fire," cried Mr. Stuart, 
" rU blow your brains out. 

By this time the Indian was far out of reach, 
and had rejoined his men, and the whole dare- 
devil band, with the captured horses, scuttled 
off along the defiles, their red flag flaunting over 
head, and the rocks echoing to their whoops and 
yells, and demoniac laughter. 

The unhorsed travellers gazed after them in 
silent mortification and despair ; yet Mr. Stuart 
could not but admire the style and spirit with 
which the whole exploit had been managed, and 



INDIAN LURKERS. ^11 

pronounced it one of the most daring and in- 
trepid actions he had ever heard of among In- 
dians. The whole number of the Crows did 
not exceed twenty. In this way a small gang 
of lurkers will hurry off the cavalry of a large 
war party, for when once a drove of horses are 
seized with panic, they become frantic, and noth- 
ing short of broken necks can stop them. 

No one was more annoyed by this unfortunate 
occurrence than Ben Jones. He declared he 
would actually have given his whole arrears of 
pay, amounting to upwards of a year's wages, 
rather than be balked of such a capital shot. 
Mr. Stuart, however, represented what might 
have been the consequence of so rash an act. 
Life for life is the Indian maxim. The whole 
tribe would have made common cause in aveng- 
ing the death of a warrior. The party were 
but seven dismounted men, with a wide moun- 
tain region to traverse, infested by these people, 
and which might all be roused by signal fires. 
In fact, the conduct of the band of marauders 
in question, showed the perseverance of savages 
when once they have fixed their minds upon a 
project. These fellows had evidently been si- 
lently and secretly dogging the party for a week 
past, and a distance of a hundred and fifty miles, 
keeping out of sight by day, lurking about the 
encampment at night, watching all their move- 
ments, and waiting for a favorable moment when 
they should be off their guard. The menace of 
Mr. Stuart, in their first interview, to shoot the 
giant chief with his pistol, and the fright caused 



478 



AST OBI A. 



among the warriors by presenting the rifles, had 
probably added the stimulus of pique to their 
usual horse-stealing propensities. And in this 
mood of mind they would doubtless have fol- 
lowed the party throughout their whole course 
over the Rocky Mountains, rather than be disap- 
pointed in their scheme. 





CHAPTER XLVI. 

EW reverses in this changeful world are 
more complete and disheartening than 
that of a traveller, suddenly unhorsed, 
in the midst of the wilderness. Our unfortunate 
travellers contemplated their situation, for a time, 
in perfect dismay. A long journey over rugged 
mountains and immeasurable plains lay before 
them, which they must painfully perform on foot, 
and everything necessary for subsistence or de- 
fense must be carried on their shoulders. Their 
dismay, however, was but transient, and they im- 
mediately set to work, with that prompt expedi- 
ency produced by the exigencies of the wilderness, 
to fit themselves for the change in their condition. 
Their first attention was to select from their 
baggage such articles as were indispensable to 
their journey ; to make them up into convenient 
packs, and to deposit the residue in caches. The 
whole day was consumed in these occupations ; 
at night, they made a scanty meal of their re- 
maining provisions, and lay down to sleep with 
heavy hearts. In the morning, they were up 
and about at an early hour, and began to prepare 
their knapsacks for a march, while Ben Jones 
repaired to an old beaver trap which he had set 
in the river bank at some little distance from 



480 ASTORIA. 

the camp. He was rejoiced to find a middle- 
sized beaver there, sufficient for a morning's meal 
to his hungry comrades. On his way back with 
his prize, he observed two heads peering over 
the edge of an impendmg cliff, several hundred 
feet high, which he supposed to be a couple of 
wolves. As he continued on, he now and then 
cast his eye up ; the heads were still there, 
looking down with fixed and watchful gaze. A 
suspicion now flashed across his mind that they 
might be Indian scouts ; and, had they not been 
for above the reach of his rifle, he would un- 
doubtedly have regaled them with a shot. • 

On arriving at the camp, he directed the atten- 
tion of his comrades to these aerial observers. 
The same idea was at first entertained, that they 
were wolves ; but their immovable watchfulness 
soon satisfied every one that they were Indians. 
It was concluded that they were watching the 
movements of the party, to discover their place 
of concealment of such articles as they would be 
compelled to leave behind. There was no likeli- 
hood that the caches would escape the search of 
such keen eyes and experienced rummagers, and 
the idea was intolerable, that any more booty 
should fiill into their hands. To disappoint them, 
therefore, the travellers stripped the caches of 
the articles deposited there, and collecting toge- 
ther everything that they could not carry away 
with them, made a bonfire of all that would 
burn, and threw the rest into the river. There 
was a forlorn satisfaction in thus balking the 
Crows, by the destruction of their own property ; 



DOWN 31 AD RIVER. 481 

and, having thus gratified their pique, they shoul- 
dered their packs, about ten o'clock in the morning, 
and set out on their pedestrian wayfaring. 

The route they took was down along the banks 
of Mad River. This stream makes its way through 
the defiles of the mountains, into the plain below 
Fort Henry, where it terminates in Snake River. 
Mr. Stuart was in hopes of meeting with Snake 
encampments in the plain, where he might pro- 
cure a couple of horses to transport the baggage. 
In such case, he intended to resume his eastern 
course across the mountains, and endeavor to 
reach the Cheyenne River before winter. Should 
he fail, however, of obtaining horses, he would 
probably be compelled to winter on the Pacific 
side of the mountains, somewhere on the head 
waters of the Spanish or Colorado River. 

With all the care that had been observed in 
taking nothing with them that was not absolutely 
necessary, the poor pedestrians were heavily laden, 
and their burdens added to the fatigues of their 
rugged road. They suffered much, too, fi;om 
hunger. The trout they caught were too poor 
to yield much nourishment ; their main depen- 
dence, therefore, was upon an old beaver trap, 
which they had providentially retained. Wlien- 
ever they were fortunate enough to entrap a 
beaver, it was cut up immediately and distributed, 
that each man might carry his share. 

After two days of toilsome travel, during 

which they made bnt eighteen miles, they stopped 

on the 21st, to build two rafts on which to cross 

to the north side of the river. On these they 

31 



482 ASTORIA. 

embarked, on the following morning, four on cue 
raft, and three on the other, and pushed boldly 
from shore. Finding the rafts sufficiently firm 
and steady to withstand the rough and rapid 
water, they changed their minds, and instead of 
crossing, ventured to float down with the current. 
The river was, in general, very rapid, and from 
one to two hundred yards in width, wmding in 
every direction through mountains of hard black 
rock, covered with pines and cedars. The moun- 
tains to the east of the river were spurs of the 
Rocky range, and of great magnitude ; those on 
the west were little better than hills, bleak and 
barren, or scantily clothed with stunted grass. 

Mad River, though deservmg its name from the 
impetuosity of its current, was free from rapids 
and cascades, and flowed on in a single channel 
between gravel banks, often fringed with cotton- 
wood and dwarf willows in abundance. These 
gave sustenance to immense quantities of beaver, 
so that the voyagers found no difficulty in j^ro- 
curing food. Ben Jones, also, killed a fallow 
deer and a wolverine, and as they were enabled 
to carry the carcasses on their rafts, their larder 
was well supplied. Indeed, they might have 
occasionally shot beavers that were swimming in 
the river as they floated by, but they humanely 
spared their lives, being in no want of meat at 
the time. In this way, they kept down the river 
for three days, drifting with the current and en- 
camping on land at night, when they drew up 
their rafts on shore. Towards the evening of the 
third day, they came to a little island on which 



RAFTING A RIVER. 483 

they descried a gang of elk. Ben Jones landed, 
and was fortunate enough to wound one, which 
immediately took to the water, but, being unable 
to stem the current, drifted above a mile, when 
it was overtaken and drawn to shore. As a 
storm was gathering, they now encamped on the 
margin of the river, where they remained all 
the next day, sheltering themselves as well as 
they could from the rain and snow — a sharp 
foretaste of the impending winter. During their 
encampment, they employed themselves m jerk- 
ing a part of the elk for future supply. In 
cutting uj) the carcass, they found that the animal 
had been wounded by hunters, about a week 
previously, an arrow head and a musket ball 
remaining in the wounds. In the wilderness, 
every trivial circumstance is a matter of anxious 
speculation. The Snake Indians have no guns ; 
the elk, therefore, could not have been wounded 
by one of them. They were on the borders of 
the country infested by the Blackfeet, who carry 
fire-arms. It was concluded, therefore, that the 
elk had been hunted by some of that wandering 
and hostile tribe, who, of course, must be in the 
neighborhood. The idea put an end to the 
transient solace they had enjoyed in the com- 
parative repose and abundance of the river. 

For three days longer they continued to navi- 
gate with their rafts. The recent storm had 
rendered the weather extremely cold. They had 
now floated down the river about ninety-one 
miles, when, finding the mountains on the right 
diminished to moderate sized hills, they landed, 



484 ASTORIA. 

and prepared to resume their journey on foot. 
Accordingly, having spent a day in preparations, 
making moccasins, and parcehng out their jerked 
meat in packs of twenty pounds to each man, 
they turned their backs upon the river on the 29th 
of September and struck off to the northeast, 
keeping along the southern skirt of the mountain 
on which Henry's Fort was situated. 

Their march was slow and toilsome ; part of 
the time through an alluvial bottom, thickly 
grown with cotton-wood, hawthorn, and willows, 
and part of the time over rough hills. Three an- 
telopes came within shot, but they dared not fire 
at them, lest the report of their rifles should be- 
tray them to the Blackfeet. In the course of the 
day, they came upon a large horse-track appar- 
ently about three weeks old, and in the evening 
encamped on the banks of a small stream, on a 
spot which had been the camping place of this 
same band. 

On the following morning they still observed 
the Indian track, but after a time they came to 
where it separated in every direction, and was 
lost. This showed that the band had dispersed in 
various hunting parties, and was, in all joroba- 
bility, still in the neighborhood ; it was necessary, 
therefore, to proceed with the utmost caution. 
They kept a vigilant eye as they marched, upon 
e^^ry height where a scout might be posted, and 
scanned the solitary landscapes and the distant 
ravines, to observe any column of smoke ; but 
nothing of the kind was to be seen ; all was in- 
describably stern and lifeless. 



TROUBLE WITH APLELLAN. 485 

Towards evening they came to where there 
were several hot springs, strongly impregnated 
with iron and sulphur, and sending up a volume 
of vapor that tainted the surrounding atmosphere, 
and might be seen at the distance of a couple of 
miles. 

Near to these they encamped, in a deep gully, 
which afforded some concealment. To their great 
concern, IVIr. Crooks, who had been indisposed for 
the two preceding days, had a violent fever in 
the night. 

Shortly after daybreak they resumed their 
march. On emerging from the glen, a consulta- 
tion was held as to their course. Should they 
continue round the skirt of the mountain, they 
would be in danger of falling in with the scattered 
parties of Blackfeet, who were probably hunting 
in the plain. It was thought most advisable, 
therefore, to strike directly across the mountain, 
since the route, though rugged and difficult, would 
be most secure. This counsel was indignantly 
derided by M'Lellan as pusillanimous. Hot- 
headed and impatient at all times, he had been 
rendered irascible by the fatigues of the journey, 
and the condition of his feet, which were chafed 
and sore. He could not endure the idea of en- 
countering the difficulties of the mountain, and 
swore he would rather face all the Blackfeet in 
the country. He was overruled, however, and 
the party began to ascend the mountain, striving, 
with the ardor and emulation of young men, who 
should be first up. M'Lellan, who was double 
the age of some of his companions, soon began 



486 ASTORIA. 

to lose breath, and fall in the rear. In the distri- 
bution of burdens, it was his turn to carry the 
old beaver trap. Piqued and irritated, he sud- 
denly came to a halt, swore he would carry it no 
further, and jerked it half-way down the hill. 
He was offered in place of it a package of dried 
m^at, but this he scornfully threw upon the 
ground. They might carry it, he said, who 
needed it ; for his part, he could provide his daily 
bread with his rifle. He concluded by flinging 
off from the party, and keeping along the skirts 
of the mountain, leaving those, he said, to climb 
rocks, who were afraid to face Indians. It was 
in vain that Mr. Stuart represented to liim the 
rashness of his conduct, and the dangers to which 
he exposed himself: he rejected such counsel as 
craven. It was equally useless to represent the 
dangers to which he subjected his companions ; as 
he could be discovered at a great distance on those 
naked plains, and the Indians, seeing him, would 
know that there must be other white men mthin 
reach. M'Lellan turned a deaf ear to every re- 
monstrance, and kept on his willful way. 

It seems a strange instance of perverseness- in 
this man thus to fling himself off alone, in a sav- 
age region, where solitude itself was dismal, and 
every encounter with his fellow-man full of peril. 
Such, however, is the hardness of spirit, and the 
insensibility to danger, that grow upon men in 
the wilderness. M'Lellan, moreover, was a man 
of peculiar temperament, ungovernable in his 
will, of a courage that absolutely knew no fear, 
and somewhat of a braggart sj^irit, tliat took a 
pride in doing desperate and hair-brained things. 



IN A VOLCANIC REGION. 487 

Mr. Stuart and his party found the passages of 
the mountain somewhat difficult, on account of 
the snow, which in many places was of consider- 
able depth, though it was now but the 1st of Oc- 
tober. They crossed the summit early in the 
afternoon, and beheld below them a plain about 
twenty miles wide, bounded on the opposite side 
by their old acquaintances, the Pilot Knobs, those 
towering mountains which had served Mr. Hunt 
as landmarks in part of his route of the preceding 
year. Through the intermediate plain wandered 
a river about fifty yards wide, sometimes gleam- 
ing m open day, but oftener running through wil- 
lowed banks, which marked its serpentine course. 

Those of the party who had been across these 
mountains, jDointed out much of the bearings of 
the country to Mr. Stuart. They showed liim in 
what direction must lie the deserted post called 
Henry's Fort, where they had abandoned their 
horses and embarked in canoes, and they informed 
him that the stream which wandered through the 
plain below them, fell into Henry River, half way 
between the fort and the mouth of Mad or Snake 
River. The character of all this mountain region 
was decidedly volcanic ; and to the northwest, be- 
tween Henry's Fort and the source of the Mis- 
souri, Mr. Stuart observed several very high peaks 
covered with snow, from two of which smoke as- 
cended in considerable volumes, apparently from 
craters in a state of eruption. 

On their way down the mountain, when they 
had reached the skirts, they descried M'Lellan 
at a distance, in the advance, traversing the plain. 



488 ASTORIA. 

Whether he saw them or not, he showed no dis- 
position to rejoin them, but pursued his sullen 
and solitary way. 

After descending into the jDlain, they kept on 
about six miles, until they reached the little river, 
which was here about knee deep, and richly 
fringed with willow. Here they encamped for 
the night. At this encampment the fever of Mr. 
Crooks increased to such a degree that it was 
impossible for him to travel. Some of the men 
were strenuous for Mr. Stuart to proceed with- 
out him, urging the imminent danger they were 
exposed to by delay in that unknown and barren 
region, infested by the most treacherous and in- 
veterate foes. They represented that the season 
was rapidly advancing; the weather for some 
days had been extremely cold ; the mountains were ' 
already almost impassable from snow, and would 
soon present effectual barriers. Their provisions 
were exhausted ; there was no game to be seen, 
and they did not dare to use their rifles, tlu-ough 
fear of drawing upon them the Blacldeet. 

The picture thus presented, was too true to be 
contradicted, and made a deep impression on the 
mind of Mr. Stuart ; but the idea of abandoning 
a fellow being, and a comrade, in such a forlorn 
situation, was too repugnant to his feelings to be 
admitted for an instant. He represented to the 
men that the malady of Mr. Crooks could not be 
of long duration, and that, in all probabihty, he 
would be able to travel in the course of a few 
days. It was with great difficulty, however, that 
he prevailed upon them to abide the event. 




CHAPTER XLVII. 




S the travellers were now in a dansrerous 
neighborhood, where the report of a rifle 
might bring the savages upon them, they 
had to depend upon their old beaver-trap for sub- 
sistence. The little river on which they were 
encamped gave many " beaver signs," and Ben 
Jones set off at daybreak, along the willowed 
banks, to find a proper trapping-place. As he 
was making his way among the thickets, with his 
trap on his shoulder and his rifle in liis hand, he 
heard a crushing sound, and turnmg, beheld a 
huge grizzly bear advancing upon him, with 
terrific growl. The sturdy Kentuckian was not 
to be intimidated by man or monster. Leveling 
his rifle, he pulled the trigger. The bear was 
wounded, but not mortally : instead, however, of 
rushing upon his assailant, as is generally the 
case with tliis kind of bear, he retreated into the 
bushes. Jones followed him for some distance, 
but with suitable caution, and Bruin effected his 
escape. 

As there was every prospect of a detention 
of some days in this place, and as the supplies 
of the beaver-trap were too precarious to be de- 
pended upon," it became absolutely necessary to 



490 ASTORIA. 

run some risk of discovery by hunting in the 
neighborhood. Ben Jones, therefore, obtained 
permission to range with his rifle some distance 
from the camp, and set ofiP to beat up the river 
banks, in defiance of bear or Blackfeet. 

He returned in great spirits in the course of 
a few hours, having come upon a gang of elk 
about six miles off, and killed five. This was 
joyful news, and the party immediately moved 
forward to the place where he had left the car- 
casses. They were obliged to suj^port Mr. 
Crooks the whole distance, for he was unable 
to walk. Here they remained for two or three 
days, feasting heartily on elk meat, and drying 
as much as they would be able to carry away 
with them. 

By the 5 th of October, some simple prescrip- 
tions, together with an " Indian sweat," had so 
far benefited Mr. Crooks, that he was enabled to 
move about ; they therefore, set forward slowly, 
dividing his pack and accoutrements among them, 
and made a creeping day's progress of eight miles 
south. Their route for the most j^art lay through 
swamps caused by the industrious labors of the 
beaver ; for this little animal had dammed up 
numerous small streams, issuing from the Pilot 
Knob Mountains, so that the low grounds on 
their borders were completely inundated. In 
the course of their march they killed a grizzly 
bear, with fat on its flanks upwards of three 
inches in thickness. This was an acceptable ad- 
dition to their stock of elk meat. The next day 
Mr. Crooks was sufficiently recruited in strength 



TRAVERSING PILOT KNOB. 491 

to be able to carry his rifie and pistols, and they 
made a march of seventeen miles along the bor- 
ders of the i3lain. 

Their journey daily became more toilsome, 
and their sufferings more severe, as they ad- 
vanced. Keepmg up the channel of a river, 
they traversed the rugged summit of the Pilot 
Knob Mountain, covered with snow nine niches 
deep. For several days they continued, bendmg 
their course as much as possible to the east, over 
a succession of rocky heights, deep valleys, and 
rapid streams. Sometimes their dizzy path lay 
along the margin of perpendicular precipices, 
several hundred feet in height, where a single 
false step might precipitate them into the rocky 
bed of a torrent wliich roared below. Not the 
least part of their weary task was the fording 
of the numerous winduigs and branchings of the 
mountain rivers, all boisterous in their currents, 
and icy cold. 

Hunger was added to their other sufferings, 
and soon became the keenest. The small sup- 
ply of bear and elk meat wliich they had been 
able to carry, in addition to their previous bur- 
dens, served but for a short time. In their anx- 
iety to struggle forward, they had but little time 
to hunt, and scarce any game in then- path. 
For three days they had notliing to eat but a 
small duck, and a few poor trout. They occa- 
sionally saw numbers of the antelopes, and tried 
every art to get within shot ; but the timid ani- 
mals were more than commonly wild, and after 
tantalizing the hungry hunters for a time, bounded 



492 ASTORIA. 

away beyond all chance of pursuit. At length 
they were fortunate enough to kill one : it was 
extremely meagre, and yielded but a scanty 
sujDply ; but on this they subsisted for several 
days. 

On the 11th, they encamped on a small stream, 
near the foot of the Spanish River Mountain. 
Here they met with traces of that wayward and 
solitary being, M'Lellan, who was still keeping 
on ahead of them through these lonely moun- 
tains. He had encamped the night before on 
this stream ; they found the embers of the fire 
by which he had slept, and the remains of a 
miserable wolf on which he had supped. It 
was evident he had suffered, like themselves, 
the pangs of hunger, though he had fared better 
at this encampment ; for they had not a mouth- 
ful to eat. 

The next day, they rose hungry and alert, 
and set out with the dawn to climb the mountain, 
which was steep and difficult. Traces of vol- 
canic eruptions were to be seen in various direc- 
tions. There was a species of clay also to be 
met with, out of which the Indians manufacture 
pots and jars, and dishes. It is very fine and 
light, of an agreeable smell, and of a brown 
color spotted with yellow, and dissolves readily 
in the mouth. Vessels manufactured of it are 
said to impart a pleasant smell and flavor to 
any liquids. These mountains abound also with 
mineral earths, or chalks of various colors ; es- 
pecially two kinds of ochre, one a pale, the other 
a bright red, like vermilion ; much used by the 
Indians, in painting their bodies. 



STARVATION. 493 

About noon, the travellers reached the " drams " 
and brooks that formed the head waters of the 
river, and later in the day, descended to where 
the main body, a shallow stream, about a hundred 
and sixty yards wide, poured through its mountain 
valley. 

Here the poor famishing wanderers had expected 
to find buffalo in abundance, and had fed their 
hungry hopes during then- scrambling toil, with 
the thoughts of roasted ribs, juicy humps, and 
broiled marrow bones. To their great disappoint- 
ment, the river banks were deserted ; a few old 
tracks, showed where a herd of bidls had some 
time before passed along, but not a horn nor 
hump was to be seen in the sterile landscape. A 
few antelopes looked down upon them from the 
brow of a crag, but flitted away out of sight at 
the least approach of the hunter. 

In the most starving mood they kept for 
several miles fiirther, along the bank of the river, 
seeking for " beaver signs." Finding some, they 
encamped in the vicinity, and Ben Jones imme- 
diately proceeded to set the trap. They had 
scarce come to a halt, when they perceived a large 
smoke at some distance to the southwest. The 
sight was hailed with joy, for they trusted it might 
rise from some Indian camp, where they could 
procure somethmg to eat, and the dread of star- 
vation had now overcome even the terror of the 
Blackfeet. Le Clerc, one of the Canadians, was 
instantly disjDatched by Mr. Stuart, to recon- 
noitre ; and the travellers sat up till a late 
hour, watching and listening for his return, 



494 ASTORIA. 

hoping he might bring them food. Midnight 
arrived, but Le Clerc did not make his appear- 
ance, and they laid down once more supperless 
to sleep, comforting themselves with the hopes 
that their old beaver trap might furnish theiii 
with a breakfast. 

At daybreak they hastened with famished 
eagerness to the trap. They found in it the fore 
paw of a beaver, the sight of which tantalized 
their hunger, and added to their dejection. They 
resumed their journey with flagging spirits, but 
had not gone far when they perceived Le Clerc 
approaching at a distance. They hastened to 
meet him, in hopes of tidings of good cheer. He 
had none to sfive them ; but news of that strange 
wanderer, M'Lellan. The smoke had risen from 
his encampment, which took fire while he was at 
a little distance from it fishing. Le Clerc found 
him in forlorn condition. His fishing had been 
unsuccessful. During twelve days that he had 
been wanderinsj alone throuo^h these savage moun- 

o (SO 

tains, he had found scarce anything to eat. He 
had been ill, wayworn, sick at heart, still he had 
kept forward ; but now his strength and his stub- 
bornness were exhausted. He expressed his 
satisfaction at hearing that Mr. Stuart and his 
party were near, and said he would wait at his 
camp for their arrival, in hopes they would give 
him something to eat, for without food he declared 
he should not be able to proceed much further. 
When the party reached the place, they found 
the poor fellow lying on a parcel of withered 
grass, wasted to a perfect skeleton, and so feeble 



A HORRIBLE PROPOSITION. 495 

that lie could scarce raise his head or speak. 
The i^resence of his old comrades seenied to 
revive him ; but they had no food to give him, 
for they themselves were almost starving. They 
urged him to rise and accompany them, but he 
shook his head. It was all in vain, he said ; 
there was no prospect of their getting speedy 
relief, and without it he should perish by the 
way ; he might as well, therefore, stay and die 
where he was. At length, after much persuasion, 
they got him upon his legs ; his rifle and other 
effects were shared among them, and he was 
cheered and aided forward. In this way they 
proceeded for seventeen miles, over a level plain 
of sand, until seeing a few antelopes in the dis- 
tance, they encamped on the margin of a small 
stream. All now that were capable of the exer- 
tion, turned out to hunt for a meal. Their 
efforts were fruitless, and after dark they returned 
to their camp, famished almost to desperation. 

As they were preparing for the third time to 
lay down to sleep without a mouthful to eat, Le 
Clerc, one of the Canadians, gaunt and wild with 
hunger, approached Mr. Stuart with his gun in 
his hand. " It was all in vain," he said, " to at- 
tempt to proceed any further without food. They 
had a barren plain before them, three or four 
days' journey in extent, on which nothing was to 
be procured. They must all perish before they 
could get to the end of it. It was better, there- 
fore, that one should die to save the rest." He 
proposed, therefore, that they should cast lots ; 
adding, as an inducement for Mr. Stuart to assent 



496 ASTORIA. 

to the proposition, that he, as leader of the party, 
should be exempted. 

Wi\ Stuart shuddered at the horrible proposi- 
tion, and endeavored to reason with the man, but 
his words were unavailing. At length, snatching 
up his rifle, he threatened to shoot him on the 
spot if he persisted. The famished wretch dropped 
on his knees, begged pardon in the most abject 
terms, and promised never again to offend him 
with such a suggestion. 

Quiet being restored to the forlorn encamp- 
ment, each one sought repose. Mr. Stuart, how- 
ever, was so exhausted by the agitation of the 
past scene, acting upon his emaciated frame, that 
he could scarce crawl to his miserable couch ; 
where, notwithstanding his fatigues, he passed a 
sleepless night, revolving upon their dreary situa- 
tion, and the desperate prospect before them. 

Before daylight the next morning, they were 
up and on their way ; they had nothing to detain 
them; no breakfast to prepare, and to linger was 
to perish. They proceeded, however, but slowly, 
for all were faint and weak. Here and there 
they passed the skulls and bones of buffaloes, 
which showed that these animals must have been 
hunted here during the past season ; the sight of 
these bones served only to mock their misery. 
After travelling about nine miles along the plain, 
they ascended a range of hills, and had scarcely 
gone two miles further, when, to their great joy, 
they discovered " an old run-down buffalo bull ; " 
the laggard probably of some herd that had been 
hunted and harassed through the mountains. 



A SEASON OF FEASTING. 497 

They now all stretched themselves out to encom- 
pass and make sure of this solitary animal, for 
their lives depended upon their success. After 
considerable trouble and infinite anxiety, they at 
length succeeded in killing him. He was instantly 
flayed and cut up, and so ravenous was their 
himger, that they devoured some of the flesh raw. 
The residue they carried to a brook near by, 
where they encamped, lit a fii-e, and began to 
cook. 

Mr. Stuart was fearful that in their famished 
state they would eat to excess and injure them- 
selves. He caused a soup to be made of some 
of the meat, and that each should take a quantity 
of it as a prelude to his supper. This may 
have had a beneficial effect, for though they 
sat up the greater part of the night, cooking and 
cramming, no one suffered any inconvenience. 

The next morning the feasting was resumed, ' 
and about mid-day, feeling somewhat recruited 
and refreshed, they set out on their journey 
with renovated spirits, sha23ing their course to- 
wards a mountain, the summit of which they 
saw towering in the east, and near to which 
they expected to find the head waters of the 
Missouri. 

As they proceeded, they continued to see the 
skeletons of buffaloes scattered about the plain in 
every direction, which showed that there had been 
much hunting here by the Indians in the recent 
season. Further on they crossed a large Indian 
trail formmg a deep path, about fifteen days old, 
which went in a north direction. They con- 

32 



498 ASTORIA. 

eluded it to have been made by some numerous 
band of Crows, who had hunted in this country 
for the greater part of the summer. 

On the following day they forded a stream of 
considerable magnitude, with banks clothed with 
pine trees. Among these they found the traces 
of a large Indian camp, which had evidently been 
the headquarters of a hunting expedition, from 
the great quantities of buffalo bones strewed 
about the neighborhood. The camp had appar- 
ently been abandoned about a month. 

In the centre was a singular lodge one hundred 
and fifty feet in circumference, sujD^^orted by the 
trunks of twenty trees, about twelve inches in 
diameter and forty-four feet long. Across these 
were laid branches of pine and willow trees, so 
as to yield a tolerable shade. At the west end, 
immediately opposite to the door, three bodies lay 
interred with their feet towards the east. At the 
head of each grave was a branch of red cedar 
firmly planted in the ground. At the foot was a 
large buffldo's skull, painted black. Savage or- 
naments were suspended in various parts of the 
edifice, and a great number of children's mocca- 
sins. From the magnitude of this building, and 
the time and labor that must have been expended 
in erecting it, the bodies which it contained were 
probably those of noted warriors and hunters. 

The next day, October 17th, they passed two 
large tributary streams of the Spanish River. 
They took their rise in the Wind River Moun- 
tains, which ranged along to the east, stupendously 
high and rugged, composed of vast masses of 



FRIENDLY SNAKES. 499 

black rock, almost destitute of wood, and covered 
in many places with snow. This day they saw a 
few buffalo bulls, and some antelopes, but could 
not kill any ; and their stock of provisions began 
to grow scanty as well as poor. 

On the 18th, after crossing a mountain ridge, 
and traversing a plain, they waded one of the 
branches of Spanish River, and on ascending its 
bank, met with about a hundred and thirty Snake 
Indians. They were friendly in their demeanor, 
and conducted them to their encampment, which 
was about three miles distant. It consisted of 
about forty wigwams, constructed principally of 
pine branches. The Snakes, like most of their 
nation, were very poor ; the marauding Crows, in 
their late excursion through the country, had 
picked this unlucky band to the very bone, carry- 
ing off their horses, several of their squaws, and 
most of their effects. In spite of their poverty, 
they were hospitable in the extreme, and made 
the hungry strangers welcome to their cabins. A 
few trinkets procured from them a supply of buf- 
falo meat, and of leather for moccasins, of which 
the party were greatly in need. The most 
valuable prize obtained from them, however, was 
a horse : it was a sorry old animal in truth, but 
it was the only one that remained to the poor 
fellows, after the fell swoop of the Crows ; yet 
this they were prevailed upon to part with to 
their guests for a pistol, an axe, a knife, and a 
few other trifling articles. 

They had doleful stories to tell of the Crows, 
who were encamped on a river at no great dis- 



500 ASTORIA. 

tance to the east, and were in such force that 
they dared not venture to seek any satisfaction 
for their outrages, or to get back a horse or 
squaw. They endeavored to excite the indigna- 
tion of their visitors by accounts of robberies 
and murders committed on lonely white hunters 
and trappers by Crows and Blackfeet. Some of 
these were exaggerations of the outrages already 
mentioned, sustained by some of the scattered 
members of Mr. Hunt's expedition ; others were 
in all probability sheer fabrications, to which the 
Snakes seem to have been a little prone. Mr. 
Stuart assured them that the day was not far 
distant when the whites would make their power 
to be felt throughout that country, and take signal 
vengeance on the perpetrators of these misdeeds. 
The Snakes exj^ressed great joy at the intelli- 
gence, and offered their services to aid the righte- 
ous cause, brightening at the thoughts of taking 
the field with such potent allies, and doubtless 
anticipating their turn at stealing horses and 
abducting squaws. Their offers, of course, were 
accepted ; the calumet of peace was produced, 
and the two forlorn j^owers smoked eternal friend- 
ship between themselves, and vengeance upon 
their common spoilers, the Crows. 




CHAPTER XLVIIL 

Y sunrise on the following morning 
(October 19th), the travellers had loaded 
their old horse with buffalo meat, suf- 
ficient for five days' provisions, and, taking leave 
of their new allies, the poor, but hospitable 
Snakes, set forth in somewhat better spirits, 
though the increasing cold of the weather, and 
the sight of the snowy mountains which they 
had yet to traverse, were enough to chill their 
very hearts. The country along this branch of 
the Spanish River, as far as they could see, was 
perfectly level, bounded by ranges of lofty moun- 
tains, both to the east and west. They proceeded 
about three miles to the south, where they came 
again upon the large trail of Crow Indians, which 
they had crossed four days previously, made, no 
doubt, by the same marauding band that had plun- 
dered the Snakes ; and which, according to the ac- 
count of the latter, was now encamped on a stream 
to the eastward. The trail kept on to the south- 
east, and was so well beaten by horse and foot, 
that they supposed at least a hundred lodges had 
passed along it. As it formed, therefore, a con- 
venient highway, and ran in a proper direction, 
they turned into it, and determined to keep along 
it as far as safety would permit ; as the Crow en- 



502 ASTORIA. 

campment must be some distance off, and it was 
not likely those savages would return upon their 
steps. They travelled forward, therefore, all that 
day, in the track of their dangerous predecessors, 
which led them across mountain streams, and long 
ridges, and through narrow valleys, all tending 
generally towards the southeast. The wind blew 
coldly from the northeast, with occasional flurries 
of snow, which made them encamp early, on the 
sheltered banks of a brook. The two Canadians, 
Yallee and Le Clerc, killed a young buffalo bull 
in the evening, which was in good condition, and 
afforded them a plentiful supply of fresh beef. 
They loaded their spits, therefore, and crammed 
their camp kettle with meat, and while the wind 
whistled, and the snow whirled around them, 
huddled round a rousing fire, basked in its warmth, 
and comforted both soul and body with a hearty 
and invigorating meal. No enjoyments have 
greater zest than these, snatched in the very midst 
of difficulty and danger ; and it is probable the 
poor wayworn and weather-beaten travellers rel- 
ished these creature comforts the more highly 
from the surrounding desolation, and the danger- 
ous proximity of the Crows. 

The snow which had fallen in the night made 
it late in the morning before the party loaded 
their solitary pack-horse, and resumed their march. 
They had not gone far before the Crow trace which 
they were following changed its direction, and 
bore to the north' of east. They had already 
begun to feel themselves on dangerous ground in 
keeping along it, as they might be descried by 



SALT SPRINGS. 503 

some scouts and spies of that race of Ishmaelites, 
whose predatory life required them to be con- 
stantly on the alert. On seeing the trace turn so 
much to the north, therefore, they abandoned it, 
and kept on their course to the southeast for eigh- 
teen miles, through a beautifully undulating 
country, having the main chain of mountains on 
the left, and a considerably elevated ridge on the 
right. Here the mountain ridge which divides 
Wind River from the head waters of the Colum- 
bia and Spanish Rivers, end abruptly, and wind- 
ing to the north of east, becomes the dividing 
barrier between a branch of the Big Horn and 
Cheyenne Rivers, and those head waters which 
flow into the Missouri below the Sioux country. 

The ridge which lay on the right of the trav- 
ellers having now become very low, they passed 
over it, and came into a level plain, about ten 
miles in circumference, and incrusted to the depth 
of a foot or eighteen inches with salt as white as 
snow. This is furnished by numerous salt springs 
of limpid water, which are continually welling up, 
overflowing their borders, and forming beautiful 
crystallizations. The Indian tribes of the interior 
are excessively fond of this salt, and repair to the 
valley to collect it, but it is held in distaste by the 
tribes of the sea-coast, w^ho will eat nothing that 
has been cured or seasoned by it. 

This evening they encamped on the banks of a 
small stream, in the open prairie. The northeast 
wind was keen and cutting ; they had nothing 
wherewith to make a fire, but a scanty growth 
of sage, or wormwood, and were fain to wrap 



504 ASTORIA. 

themselves up in their blankets, and huddle them- 
selves in their " nests," at an early hour. In the 
course of the evening, Mr. M'Lellan, who had 
now regained his strength, killed a buffalo, but it 
was some distance from the camp, and they post- 
poned supplying themselves from the carcass until 
the folio wino^ mornino^. 

The next day (October 21st), the cold continued, 
accompanied by snow. They set forward on their 
bleak and toilsome way, keeping to the east-north- 
east, towards the lofty summit of a mountain, 
which it was necessary for them to cross. Before 
they reached its base they passed another large 
trail, steering a little to the right of the point of 
the mountain. This they presumed to have been 
made by another band of Crows, who had prob- 
ably been hunting lower down on the Spanish 
l^iver. 

The severity of the weather compelled them 
to encamp at the end of fifteen miles, on the skirts 
of the mountain, where they found sufficient dry 
aspen trees to supply them with fire, but they 
sought in vain about the neighborhood for a spring 
or rill of water. 

At daybreak they were up and on the march, 
scrambling up the mountain side for the distance 
of eight painful miles. From the casual hints 
given in the travelling memoranda of Mr. Stuart, 
this mountain would seem to offer a rich field of 
speculation for the geologist. Here was a plain 
three miles in diameter, strewed with pumice 
stones and other volcanic reliques, with a lake in 
the centre, occupying what had probably been the 



WINTRY PLAINS. 505 

the crater. Here were also, in some places, de- 
posits of marine shells, indicating that this moun- 
tain crest had at some remote period been below 
the waves. 

After pausing to repose, and to enjoy these 
grand but savage and awful scenes, they began to 
descend the eastern side of the mountain. The 
descent was rugged and romantic, along deep 
ravines and defiles, overhung with crags and 
cliffs, among which they beheld numbers of the 
ahsahta or bighorn, skipping fearlessly from rock 
to rock. Two of them they succeeded in bring- 
ing down with their rifles, as they peered fear- 
lessly from the brow of their airy precipices. 

Arrived at the foot of the mountain, the trav- 
ellers found a rill of water oozing out of the 
earth, and resembling in look and taste, the water 
of the Missouri. Here they encamped for the 
night, and supped sumptuously upon their moun- 
tain mutton, which they found in good condition, 
and extremely well tasted. 

The morning was bright, and intensely cold. 
Early in the day they came upon a stream run- 
ning to the east, between low hills of bluish 
earth, strongly impregnated with copperas. Mr. 
Stuart supposed this to be one of the head 
waters of the Missouri, and determined to fol- 
low its banks. After a march of twenty-six 
miles, however, he arrived at the summit of a 
hill, the prospect of which induced him to alter 
his intention. He beheld, in every direction south 
of east, a vast plain, bounded only by the horizon, 
through which wandered the stream in quesHon, 



506 ASTORIA. 

in a south-southeast direction. It could not, 
therefore, be a branch of the Missouri. He now 
gave up all idea of taking the stream for his 
guide, and shaped his course towards a range of 
mountains in the east, about sixty miles distant, 
near which he hoped to find another stream. 

The weather was now so severe, and the hard- 
ships of travelling so great, that he resolved to 
halt for the winter, at the first eligible place. 
That night they had to encamp on the open prai- 
rie, near a scanty pool of water, and without any 
wood to make a fire. The northeast wind blew 
keenly across the naked waste, and they were 
fain to decamp from their inhospitable bivouac 
before the dawn. 

For two days they kept on in an eastward di- 
rection, against wintry blasts and occasional snow 
storms. They suffered, also, from scarcity of 
water, having occasionally to use melted snow ; 
this, with the want of pasturage, reduced their 
old pack-horse sadly. They saw many tracks of 
bufiiilo, and some few bulls, which, however, got 
the wind of them, and scampered off. 

On the 26th of October, they steered east- 
northeast, for a wooded ravine in a mountain, at 
a small distance from the base of which, to their 
great joy, they discovered an abundant stream, 
running between willowed banks. Here they 
halted for the night, and Ben Jones having luck- 
ily trapped a beaver, and killed two buffalo bulls, 
they remained all the next day encamped, feast- 
ing and reposing, and allowing their jaded horse 
to rest from his labors. 



STRIKING SCENES. 507 

The little stream on which they were en- 
camped, was one of the head waters of the Platte 
River, which flows into the Missouri ; it was, in 
fact, the northern fork, or branch of that river, 
though this the travellers did not discover until 
long afterwards. Pursuing the course of this 
stream for about twenty miles, they came to 
where it forced a passage through a range of 
high hills, covered with cedars, into an extensive 
low country, aflfording excellent pasture to nu- 
merous herds of buffalo. Here they killed three 
cows, which were the first they had been able to 
get, having hitherto had to content themselves 
with bull beef, which at this season of the year is 
very poor. The hump meat afforded them a re- 
past fit for an epicure. 

Late on the afternoon of the 30th, they came 
to where the stream, now increased to a consider- 
able size, poured along in a ravine between pre- 
cipices of red stone, two hundred feet in height. 
For some distance it dashed along, over huge 
masses of rock, with foaming violence, as if ex- 
asperated by being compressed into so narrow a 
channel, and at length leaped down a chasm that 
looked dark and frightful in the gathering twi- 
light. 

For a part of the next day, the wild river, in 
its capricious wanderings, led them through a va- 
riety of striking scenes. At one time they were 
upon high plains, like platforms among the moun- 
tains, with herds of buffaloes roaming about them ; 
at another, among rude rocky defiles, broken into 
cliffs and precipices, where the black-tailed deer 



508 ASTORIA. 

bounded off among the crags, and the bighorn 
basked in the sunny brow of the precipice. 

In the after part of the day, they came to an- 
other scene, surpassing in savage grandeur those 
already described. They had been travelling for 
some distance through a pass of the mountains, 
keeping parallel with the river, as it roared along, 
out of sight, through a deep ravine. Sometimes 
their devious path approached the margin of cliffs 
below which the river foamed, and boiled, and 
whirled among the masses of rock that had fallen 
into its channel. As they crept cautiously on, 
leading their solitary pack-horse along these giddy 
heights, they all at once came to where the river 
thundered down a succession of precipices, throw- 
ing up clouds of spray, and making a prodigious 
din and uproar. The travellers remained, for a 
time, gazing with mingled awe and delight, at 
this furious cataract, to which Mr. Stuart gave, 
from the color of the impending rocks, the name 
of " The Fiery Narrows." 





CHAPTER XLIX. 

I HE travellers encamped for the night on 
the banks of the river below the cata- 
ract. The night was cold, with partial 
showers of rain and sleet. The morning dawned 
gloomily, the skies were sullen and overcast, and 
threatened further storms ; but the little band re- 
sumed their journey, in defiance of the weather. 
The increasing rigor of the season, however, 
which makes itself felt early in these mountainous 
regions, and on these naked and elevated plains, 
brought them to a pause, and a serious delibera- 
tion, after they had descended about thirty miles 
further along the course of the river. 

All were convinced that it was in vain to at- 
tempt to accomplish their journey on foot at this 
inclement season. They had still many hundred 
miles to traverse before they should reach the 
main course of the Missouri, and their route 
would lay over immense prairies, naked and 
bleak, and destitute of fuel. The question then 
was, where to choose their wintering place, and 
whether or not to proceed further down the river. 
They had at first imagined it to be one of the 
head waters, or tributary streams, of the Mis- 
souri. Afterwards they had believed it to be the 



510 ASTORIA. 

Rapid, or Qiiicourt River, in which opinion they 
had not come nearer to the truth ; they now, 
however, were persuaded, with equal fallacy, by 
its inclining somewhat to the north of east, that 
it was the Cheyenne. If so, by continuing down 
it much further they must arrive among the In- 
dians, from whom the river takes its name. 
Among these they would be sure to meet some 
of the Sioux tribe. These would apprise their 
relatives, the piratical Sioux of the Missouri, of 
the approach of a band of white traders ; so that, 
in the spring time, they would be likely to be 
waylaid and robbed on their way down the river, 
by some party in ambush upon its banks. 

Even should this prove to be the Quicourt or 
Rapid River, it would not be prudent to winter 
much further down upon its banksj as, though 
they might be out of the range of the Sioux, they 
would be in the neighborhood of the Poncas, a 
tribe nearly as dangerous. It was resolved, 
therefore, since they must winter somewhere on 
this side of the Missouri, to descend no lower, 
but to keep up in these solitary regions, where 
they would be in no danger of molestation. 

They were brought the more promptly and 
unanimously to this decision, by coming upon an 
excellent wintering place, that promised every- 
thing requisite for their comfort. It was on a 
fine bend of the river, just below where it 
issued out from among a ridge of mountains, and 
bent towards the northeast. Here was a beau- 
tiful low point of land, covered by cotton-wood, 
and surrounded by a thick growth of willow, so 



A WINTERING PLACE. 511 

as to yield both shelter and fuel, as well as ma- 
terials for building. The river swept by in a 
strong current, about a hundred and fifty yards 
wide. To the southeast were mountains of mod- 
erate height, the nearest about two miles off, 
but the whole chain ranging to the east, south, 
and southwest, as far as the eye could reach. 
Their summits were crowned with extensive 
tracts of pitch pine, checkered with small patches 
of the quivering aspen. Lower down were thick 
forests of firs and red cedars, growing out in 
many places from the very fissures of tlie rocks. 
The mountains were broken and precipitous, with 
huge bluffs protruding from among the forests. 
Their rocky recesses, and beetling cliffs, afforded 
retreats to innumerable fiocks of the bighorn, 
while their woody summits and ravines abounded 
with bears and black-tailed deer. These, with 
the numerous herds of buffalo that ranged the 
lower grounds along the river, promised the 
travellers abundant cheer in their winter quar- 
ters. 

On the 2d of November, therefore, they pitched 
their camp for the winter, on the woody point, 
and their first thought was to obtain a supply of 
provisions. Ben Jones and the two Canadians 
accordingly sallied forth, accompanied by two 
others of the party, leaving but one to watch 
the camp. Their hunting was uncommonly suc- 
cessful. In the course of two days, they killed 
thirty-two buffdoes, and collected their meat on 
the margin of a small brook, about a mile distant. 
Fortunately, a severe frost froze the river, so that 



512 ASTORIA. 

the meat was easily transported to the encamp- 
ment. On a succeeding day, a herd of buffalo 
came trampling through the woody bottom on the 
river banks, and fifteen more were killed. 

It was soon discovered, however, that there 
was game of a more dangerous nature in the 
neighborhood. On one occasion, Mr. Crooks had 
wandered about a mile from the camp, and had 
ascended a small hill commanding a view of the 
river. He was without his rifle, a rare circum- 
stance, for in these wild regions, where one may 
put up a wild animal, or a wild Indian, at every 
turn, it is customary never to stir from the camp- 
fire unarmed. The hill where he stood over- 
looked the place where the massacre of the 
buffalo had taken place. As he was looking 
around on the prospect, his eye was caught by 
an object below, moving directly towards him. 
To his dismay, he discovered it to be a grizzly 
bear, with two cubs. There was no tree at hand 
into which he could climb ; to run, would only 
be to provoke pursuit, and he should soon be over- 
taken. He threw himself on the ground, there- 
fore, and lay motionless, watching the movements 
of the animal with intense anxiety. It con- 
tinued to advance until at the foot of the hill, 
when it turned, and made into the woods, having 
probably gorged itself with buffalo flesh. Mr. 
Crooks made all haste back to the camp, rejoicing 
at his escape, and determining never to stir out 
again without his rifle. A few days after this 
circumstance, a grizzly bear was shot in the 
neighborhood, by Mr. Miller. 



COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 513 

As the slaughter of so many buffaloes had 
provided the party with beef for the winter, ia 
case they met with no further supply, they now 
set to work, heart and hand, to build a comfort- 
able wigwam. In a little while the woody prom- 
ontory rang with the unwonted sound of the 
axe. Some of its lofty trees were laid low, and 
by the second evening the cabin was complete. 
It was eight feet wide, and eighteen feet long. 
The walls were six feet high, and the whole 
was covered with buffalo skins. The fireplace 
was in the centre, and the smoke found its way 
out by a hole in the roof. 

The hunters were next sent out to procure 
deer-skins for garments, moccasins, and other 
purposes. They made the mountains echo with 
their rifles, and, in the course of two days' hunt- 
ing, killed twenty-eight bighorns and black-tailed 
deer. 

The party now reveled in abundance. After 
all that they had suffered from hunger, cold, 
fatigue and watchfulness ; after all their perils 
from treacherous and savage men, they exulted 
in the snugness and security of their isolated 
cabin, hidden, as they thought, even from the 
prying eyes of Indian scouts, and stored with 
creature comforts ; and they looked forward to a 
winter of peace and quietness ; of roasting, and 
boiling, and broiling, and feasting upon venison, 
and mountain mutton, and bear's meat, and mar- 
row bones, and buffalo humps, and other hunter's 
dainties, and of dozing and reposing round their 
fire, and gossiping over past dangers and ad- 
33 



514 ASTORIA. 

ventures, and telling long hunting stories, until 
spring should return ; when they would make 
canoes of buffalo skins and float themselves down 
the river. 

From such halcyon dreams, they were startled 
one morning, at daybreak, by a savage yell. 
They started up and seized their rifles. The 
yell was repeated by two or three voices. 
Cautiously peeping out, they beheld, to their dis- 
may, several Indian warriors among the trees, all 
armed and painted in warlike style ; being evi- 
dently bent on some hostile purpose. 

Miller changed countenance as he regarded 
them. " We are in trouble," said he, " these 
are some of the rascally Arapahays that robbed 
me last year." Not a word was uttered by the 
rest of the party, but they silently shmg their 
powder horns and ball pouches, and prepared for 
battle. M'Lellan, who had taken his gun to 
pieces the evening before, put it together in all 
haste. He proposed that they should break out 
the clay from between the logs, so as to be able 
to fire upon the enemy. 

" Not yet," replied Stuart ; " it will not do to 
show fear or distrust ; we must first hold a par- 
ley. Some one must go out and meet them as a 
friend." 

Who was to undertake the task ! It was full of 
peril, as the envoy might be shot down at the 
threshold. 

" The leader of a party," said Miller, " always 
takes the advance." 

" Good ! " replied Stuart ; *' I am ready." He 



DANGEROUS VISITORS. 515 

immediately went forth ; one of* the Canadians 
followed him ; the rest of the party remained 
in the garrison, to keep the savages in check. 

Stnart advanced holding his rifle in one hand, 
and extending the other to the savage that ap- 
peared to be the chief. The latter stepped for- 
ward and took it ; his men followed his example, 
and all shook hands with Stuart, in token of friend- 
ship. They now explained their errand. They 
were a war party of Arapahay braves. Their 
village lay on a stream several days' journey to 
the eastward. It had been attacked and ravaged 
during their absence, by a band of Crows, who 
had carried off several of their women, and most 
of their horses. They were in quest of ven- 
geance. For sixteen days they had been track- 
ing the Crows about the mountains, but had not 
yet come upon them. In the meantime, they 
had met with scarcely any game, and were half 
famished. About two days previously, they had 
heard the report of fire-arms among the moun- 
tains, and on searching in the direction of the 
sound, had come to a place where a deer had been 
killed. They had immediately put themselves 
upon the track of the hunters, and by following it 
up, had arrived at the cabin. 

Mr. Stuart now invited the chief and another, 
who appeared to be his lieutenant, into the hut, 
but made signs that no one else was to enter: 
The rest halted at the door ; others came strag- 
gling up, until the whole party, to the number 
of twenty-three, were gathered before the hut. 
They were armed with bows and arrows, toma- 



516 ASTORIA. 

hawks and scalping knives, and some few with 
guns. All were painted and dressed for war, 
and had a wild and fierce appearance. Mr. Mil- 
ler recognized among them some of the very 
fellows who had robbed him in the preceding 
year; and put his comrades upon their guard. 
Every man stood ready to resist the first act of 
hostility ; the savages, however, conducted them- 
selves peaceably, and showed none of that swag- 
gering arrogance which a war party is apt to 
assume. 

On entering the hut the chief and his lieu- 
tenant cast a wistful look at the rafters, laden 
with venison and buffalo meat. Mr. Stuart 
made a merit of necessity, and invited them to 
help themselves. They did not wait to be 
pressed. The rafters were soon eased of their 
burden ; venison and beef were passed out to 
the crew before the door, and a scene of gorman- 
dizing commenced, of which few can have an 
idea, who have not witnessed the gastronomic 
powers of an Indian, after an interval of fasting. 
This was kept up throughout the day ; they 
paused now and then, it is true, for a brief inter- 
val, but only to return to the charge with re- 
newed ardor. The chief and the lieutenant sur- 
passed all the rest in the vigor and perseverance 
of their attacks ; as if from their station they 
were bound to signalize themselves in all on- 
slaughts. Mr. Stuart kept them well supplied 
with choice bits, for it was his policy to over- 
feed them, and keep them from leaving the hut, 
where they served as hostages for the good con- 



INDIAN VORACITY. 517 

duct of their followers. Once, only, in the 
course of the day, did the chief sally forth. Mr. 
Stuart and one of his men accompanied him, 
armed with their rifles, but without betraying any 
distrust. The chieftain soon returned, and re- 
newed his attack upon the larder. In a word, he 
and his worthy coadjutor, the lieutenant, ate until 
they were both stupefied. 

Towards evening the Indians made their prep- 
arations for the night according to the practice 
of war parties. Those outside of the hut threw 
up two breastworks, into which they retired at 
a tolerably early hour, and slept like overfed 
hounds. As to the chief and his lieutenant, 
they passed the night in the hut, in the course 
of which, they, two or three times, got up to eat. 
The travellers took turns, one at a time, to 
mount guard until the morning. 

Scarce had the day dawned, when the gor- 
mandizing was renewed by the whole band, and 
carried on with surprising vigor until ten o'clock, 
when all prepared to depart. They had six 
days' journey yet to make, they said, before they 
should come up with the Crows, who, they un- 
derstood, were encamped on a river to the north- 
ward. Their way lay through a hungry coun- 
try where there was no game ; they would, more- 
over, have but little time to hunt; they, there- 
fore, craved a small supply of provisions for 
their journey. Mr. Stuart again invited them 
to help themselves. They did so with keen 
forethought, loading themselves with the choicest 
parts of the meat, and leaving the late plente- 



518 ASTORIA. 

ous larder far gone in a consumption. Their 
next request was for a supply of ammunition, 
having guns, but no powder and ball. They 
promised to pay magnificently out of the spoils 
of their foray. " We are poor now," said they, 
" and are obliged to go on foot, but we shall soon 
come back laden with booty, and all mounted 
on horseback, with scalps hanging at our bri- 
dles. We will then give each of you a horse to 
keep you from being tired on your journey." 

'' Well," said Mr. Stuart, " when you bring 
the horses, you shall have the ammunition, but 
not before." The Indians saw by his determined 
tone, that all further entreaty would be unavail- 
ing, so they desisted, with a good-humored laugh, 
and went off exceedingly well freighted, both 
within and without, promising to be back again 
in the course of a fortnight. 

No sooner were they out of hearing, than the 
luckless travellers held another council. The se- 
curity of their cabin was at an end, and with it 
all their dreams of a quiet and cozey winter. 
They were between two fires. On one side 
were their old enemies, the Crows ; on the other 
side, the Arapahays, no less dangerous freeboot- 
ers. As to the moderation of this war party, 
they considered it assumed, to put them off their 
guard against some more favorable opportunity 
for a surprisal. It was determined, therefore, 
not to await their return, but to abandon, with 
all speed, this dangerous neighborhood. From 
the accounts of their recent visitors, they were 
led to believe, though erroneously, that they 



GOOD QUARTERS ABANDONED. 519 

were upon the Quicourt, or Rapid River. They 
proposed now to keep along it to its confluence 
with the Missouri ; but, should they be pre- 
vented by the rigors of the season from proceeding 
so far, at least to reach a part of the river where 
they might be able to construct canoes of greater 
strength and durability than those of buffalo 
skins. 

Accordingly, on the 13th of December, they 
bade adieu, with many a regret, to their comfort- 
able quarters where for five weeks they had 
been indulging the sweets of repose, of plenty, 
and of fancied security. They were still accom- 
panied by their veteran pack-horse, which the 
Arapahays had omitted to steal either because 
they intended to steal him on their return, or 
because they thought him not worth stealing. 



'^# 



'T 




CHAPTER L. 

j HE interval of comfort and repose which 
the party had enjoyed in their wigwam, 
rendered the renewal of their fatigues 
intolerable for the first two or three days. The 
snow lay deep, and was slightly frozen on the 
surface, but not sufficiently to bear their weight. 
Their feet became sore by breaking through the 
crust, and their limbs weary by floundering on 
without firm foothold. So exhausted and dis- 
pirited were they, that they began to thmk it 
would be better to remain and run the risk of 
being killed by the Indians, than to drag on thus 
painfully, with the probability of perishing by the 
way. Their miserable horse fared no better than 
themselves, having for the first day or two no 
other fodder than the ends of willow twigs, and 
the bark of the cotton-wood tree. 

They all, however, appeared to gain patience 
and hardihood as they proceeded, and for fourteen 
days kept steadily on, making a distance of about 
three hundred and thirty miles. For some days, 
the range of mountains which had been near to 
their wigwam kept parallel to the river at no 
great distance, but at length subsided into hills. 
Sometimes they found the river bordered with 
alluvial bottoms, and groves with cotton-wood and 



MISTAKE IN THEIR COURSE. 521 

willows ; sometimes the adjacent country was 
naked and barren. In one place it ran for a 
considerable distance between rocky hills and 
promontories covered with cedar and pitch pines, 
and peopled with the bighorn and the mountain 
deer ; at other places it wandered through prairies 
well stocked with buffaloes and antelopes. As 
they descended the course of the river, they be- 
gan to perceive the ash and white oak here and 
there among the cotton-wood and willow ; and at 
length caught a sight of some wild horses on the 
distant prairies. 

The weather was various ; at one time the 
snow lay deep ; then they had a genial day or 
two, with the mildness and serenity of autumn ; 
then, again, the frost was so severe that the river 
was sufficiently frozen to bear them upon the ice. 

During the last three days of their fortnight's 
travel, however, the face of the country changed. 
The timber gradually diminished, until they could 
scarcely find fuel sufficient for culinary purposes. 
The game grew more and more scanty, and, 
finally, none were to be seen but a few miserable 
broken-down buffalo buUs, not worth killing. 
The snow lay fiLfteen inches deep, and made the 
travelling grievously painful and toilsome. At 
length they came to an immense plain, where no 
vestige of timber was to be seen ; nor a single 
quadruped to enliven the desolate landscape. 
Here, then, their hearts failed them, and they 
held another consultation. The width of the 
river, which was upwards of a mile, its extreme 
shallowness, the frequency of quicksands, and 



522 ASTORIA. 

various other characteristics, had at length made 
them sensible of their errors with respect to it, 
and they now came to the correct conclusion, 
that they were on the banks of the Platte or 
Shallow River. What were they to do ? Pur- 
sue its course to the Missouri ? To go on at this 
season of the yeaj- seemed dangerous in the ex- 
treme. There was no prospect of obtaining either 
food or firing. The country was destitute of 
trees, and though there might be drift-wood along 
the river, it lay too deep beneath the snow for 
them to find it. 

The' weather was threatening a change, and 
a snow-storm on these boundless wastes midit 
prove as flital as a whirlwind of sand on an 
Arabian desert. After much dreary delibera- 
tion, it was at length determined to retrace 
their three last days' journey, of seventy-seven 
miles, to a place which they had remarked where 
there was a sheltering growth of forest trees, 
and a country abundant in game. Here they 
would once more set up their winter quarters, 
and await the opening of the navigation to launch 
themselves in canoes. 

Accordingly, on the 27th of December, they 
faced about, retraced their steps, and on the 
30th, regained the part of the river in question. 
Here the alluvial bottom was from one to two 
miles wide, and thickly covered with a forest of 
cotton-wood trees ; while herds of buffalo were 
scattered about the neighboring prairie, several of 
which soon fell beneath their rifles. 

They encamped on the margin of the river, in 



SECOND CANTONMENT. 523 

a grove where there were trees large enough 
for canoes. Here thej put up a shed for imme- 
diate shelter, and immediately proceeded to erect 
a hut. New Year's day dawned when, as yet, 
but one wall of their cabin was completed ; the 
genial and jovial day, however, was not per- 
mitted to pass uncelebrated, even by this weath- 
er-beaten crew of wanderers. All work was sus- 
pended, except that of roasting and boiling. The 
choicest of the buffalo meat, with tongues, and 
humps, and marrow-bones, were devoured in 
quantities that would astonish any one that has 
not lived among hunters or Indians ; and as an 
extra regale, having no tobacco left, they cut up 
an old tobacco pouch, still redolent with the 
potent herb, and smoked it in honor of the day. 
Thus for a time, in present revelry, however un- 
couth, they forgot all past troubles and all anxie- 
ties about the future, and their forlorn wigwam 
echoed to the sound of gayety. 

The next day they resumed their labors, and 
by the 6th of the month it was complete. They 
soon killed abundance of buffalo, and again laid 
in a stock of winter provisions. 

The j^arty were more fortunate in this their 
second cantonment. The winter passed away 
without any Indian visitors, and the game con- 
tinued to be plenty in the neighborhood. They 
felled two large trees, and shaped them into 
canoes ; and, as the spring opened, and a thaw 
of several days' continuance melted the ice in the 
river, they made every j^reparation for embarking. 
On the 8th of March they launched forth in their 



524 ASTORIA. 

canoes, but soon found that the river had not 
depth sufficient even for such slender barks. It 
expanded into a wide but extremely shallow 
stream, with many sand-bars, and occasionally 
various channels. They got one of their canoes 
a few miles down it, with extreme difficulty, 
sometimes wading, and dragging it over the 
shoals ; at length they had to abandon the at- 
tempt, and to resume their journey on foot, aided 
by their faithful old pack-horse, who had recruited 
strength during the repose of the winter. 

The weather delayed them for a few days, 
having suddenly become more rigorous than it 
had been at any time during the winter ; but on 
the 20 th of March they were again on their 
journey. 

In two days they arrived at the vast naked 
prairie, the wintry aspect of which had caused 
them, in December, to pause and turn back. It 
was now clothed in the early verdure of spring, 
and plentifully stocked with game. Still, when 
obliged to bivouac on its bare surface, without 
any shelter, and by a scanty fire of dry buffialo 
dung, they found the night blasts piercing cold. 
On one occasion, a herd of buffiilo straying near 
their evening camp, they killed three of them 
merely for their hides, wherewith to make a 
shelter for the night. 

They continued on for upwards of a hundred 
miles ; with vast prairies extending before them 
as they advanced ; sometimes diversified by undu- 
lating hills, but destitute of trees. In one place 
they saw a gang of sixty-five wild horses, but as 



PRAIRIE SCENERY IRKSOME. 525 

to the buffaloes, they seemed absolutely to cover 
the country. "Wild geese abounded, and they 
passed extensive swamps that were alive with 
innumerable flocks of water-fowl, among which 
were a few swans, but an endless variety of 
ducks. 

The river continued a winding course to the 
east-northeast, nearly a mile in width, but too 
shallow to float even an empty canoe. The 
country spread out into a vast level plain, 
bounded by the horizon alone, excepting to the 
north, where a Hne of hills seemed hke a long 
promontory stretching into the bosom of the 
ocean. The dreary sameness of the jDrairie wastes 
began to grow extremely irksome. The travel- 
lers longed for the sight of a forest, or grove, or 
single tree, to break the level uniformity, and be- 
gan to notice every object that gave reason to 
hope they were drawing towards the end of this 
weary wilderness. Thus the occurrence of a par- 
ticular kind of grass was hailed as a proof that 
they could not be far from the bottoms of the 
IMissouri ; and they were rejoiced at putting up 
several prairie hens, a kind of grouse seldom 
found far in the interior. In picking up drift- 
wood for fuel, also, they found on some pieces the 
mark of an axe, which caused much speculation 
as to the time when and the persons by whom 
the trees had been felled. Thus they went on, 
like sailors at sea, who perceive in every floating 
weed and wandering bird, harbingers of the 
wished-for land. 

By the close of the month the weather became 



526 ASTORIA. 

very mild, and, heavily burdened as they were, 
they found the noontide temperature uncomfor- 
tably warm. On the 30th, they came to three 
deserted hunting camps, either of Pawnees or 
Ottoes, about which were buffalo skulls in all di- 
rections ; and the frames on which the hides had 
been stretched and cured. They had apparently 
been occupied the preceding autumn. 

For several days they kept patiently on, watch- 
ing every sign that might give them an idea as to 
where they were, and how near to the banks of 
the Missouri. 

Though there were numerous traces of hunting 
parties and encampments, they were not of recent 
date. The country seemed deserted. The only 
human beings they met with were three Pawnee 
squaws, in a hut in the midst of a deserted camp. 
Their people had all gone to the south, in pursuit 
of the buffalo, and had left these poor women be- 
hind, being too sick and infirm to travel. 

It is a common practice with the Pawnees, and 
probably with other roving tribes, when departing 
on a distant expedition, which will not admit of 
incumbrance or delay, to leave their aged and in- 
firm with a supply of provisions sufficient for a 
temporary subsistence. When this is exhausted, 
they must perish ; though sometimes their suffer- 
ings are abridged by hostile prowlers wlio may 
visit the deserted camp. 

The poor squaws in question expected some 
such fate at the hands of the white strangers, and 
though the latter accosted them in the kindest 
manner, and made them presents of dried buffalo 



NEWS FROM THE STATES. 527 

meat, it was impossible to soothe their alarm, or 
get any information from them. 

The first landmark by which the travellers 
were enabled to conjecture their position with any 
degree of confidence, was an island about seventy 
miles in length, which they presumed to be Grand 
Isle. If so, they were within one hundred and 
forty miles of the Missouri. They kept on, 
therefore, with renewed spirit, and at the end of 
three days met with an Otto Indian, by whom 
they were confirmed in their conjecture. They 
learnt at the same time another piece of informa- 
tion, of an uncomfortable nature. According to 
his account, there was war between the United 
States and England, and in fact it had existed for 
a whole year, during which time they had been 
beyond the reach of all knowledge of the affairs 
of the civilized world. 

The Otto conducted the travellers to his village, 
situated a short distance from the banks of the 
Platte. Here they were delighted to meet with 
two white men, Messrs. Dornin and Roi, Indian 
traders recently from St. Louis. Of these they 
had a thousand inquiries to make concerning all 
affairs, foreign and domestic, during their year of 
sepulture in the wilderness ; and especially about 
the events of the existing war. 

They now prepared to abandon their weary 
travel by land, and to embark upon the water. 
A bargain was made with Mr. Dornin, who en- 
gaged to furnish them with a canoe and provisions 
for the voyage, in exchange for their venerable 
and well-tried fellow traveller, the old Snake 
horse. 



528 ASTORIA. 

Accordingly, in a couple of days, the Indians 
employed by that gentleman constructed for them 
a canoe twenty feet long, four feet wide, and 
eighteen inches deep. The frame was of poles 
and willow twigs, on which were stretched five 
elk and buffalo hides, sewed together with sinews, 
and the seams payed with unctuous mud. In this 
they embarked at an early hour on the 16th of 
April, and drifted down ten miles with the stream, 
when the wind being high they encamped, and 
set to work to make oars, which they had not 
been able to procure at the Indian village. 

Once more afloat,. they went merrily down the 
stream, and after making thirty -five miles, emerged 
into the broad turbid current of the Missouri. 
Here they were borne along briskly by the rapid 
stream ; though, by the time their fragile bark had 
floated a couple of hundred miles, its frame began 
to show the effects of the voyage. Luckily they 
came to the deserted wintering place of some 
hunting party, where they found two old wooden 
canoes. Taking possession of the largest, they 
again committed themselves to the current, and 
after dropping down fifty-five miles further, arrived 
safely at Fort Osage. 

Here they found Lieutenant Brownson still in 
command ; the officer who had given the expe- 
dition a hospitable reception on its way up the 
river, eighteen months previously. He received 
this remnant of the party with a cordial welcome, 
and endeavored in every way to promote their 
comfort and enjoyment during their sojourn at the 
fort. The greatest luxury they met with on their 



BACK TO CIVILIZATION. 529 

return to the abode of civilized man, was bread, 
not having tasted any for nearly a year. 

Their stay at Fort Osage was but short. On 
reembarking they were furnished with an ample 
supi^ly of provisions by the kindness of Lieuten- 
ant Brownson, and performed the rest of their 
voyage without adverse circumstance. On the 
30th of April they arrived in perfect health and 
fine spirits at St. Louis, having been ten months 
in performing this perilous expedition from As- 
toria. Their return caused quite a sensation at 
the place, bringing the first intelligence of the 
fortune of Mr. Hunt and his party, in their ad- 
venturous route across the Rocky Mountains, and 
of the new establishment on the shores of the 
Pacific. 



34 




CHAPTER LI. 




T is now necessary, in linking together 
tlie parts of this excursive narrative, 
that we notice the proceedings of Mr. 
Astor in support of his great undertaking. His 
project with respect to the Russian establishments 
along the northwest coast had been diligently 
prosecuted. The agent sent by him to St. Peters- 
burgh, to negotiate in his name as president of 
the American Fur Company, had, under sanction 
of the Russian government, made a provisional 
agreement with the Russian company. 

By this agreement, which was ratified by Mr. 
Astor in 1813, the two companies bound them- 
selves not to interfere with each other's trading 
and hunting grounds, nor to furnish arms and am- 
munition to the Indians. They were to act in 
concert, also, against all interlopers, and to succor 
each other in case of danger. The American 
company was to have the exclusive right of sup- 
plying the Russian posts with goods and neces- 
saries, receiving 23eltries in payment at stated 
prices. They were, also, if so requested by the 
Russian governor, to convey the furs of the Rus- 
sian company to Canton, sell them on commission, 
and bring back the proceeds, at such freight as 



mioht be ao;reed on at the time. 



This agreement 



BRIGHT ANTICIPATIONS CLOUDED. 531 

was to continue in operation four years, and to 
be renewable for a similar term, unless some un- 
foreseen contingency should render a modification 
necessary. 

It was calculated to be of great service to the 
infant establishment at Astoria ; dispelling the 
fears of hostile rivalry on the part of the foreign 
companies in its neighborhood, and giving a formi- 
dable blow to the irregular trade along the coast. 
It was also the intention of Mr. Astor to have 
coasting vessels of his own, at Astoria, of small 
tonnage and draft of water, fitted for coasting 
service. These, having a place of shelter and 
deposit, could ply about the coast in short voyages, 
in favorable weather, and would have vast ad- 
vantage over chance ships, which must make long 
voyages, maintain numerous crews, and could only 
approach the coast at certain seasons of the year. 
He hoped, therefore, gradually to make Astoria 
the great emporium of the American fur trade 
in the Pacific, and the nucleus of a powerful 
American state. Unfortunately for these sanguine 
anticipations, before Mr. Astor had ratified the 
agreement, as above stated, war broke out between 
the United States and great Britain. He per- 
ceived at once the peril of the case. The harbor 
of New York would doubtless be blockaded, and 
the departure of the annual supply ship in the 
autumn prevented; or, if she should succeed in 
getting out to sea, she might be captured on her 
voyage. 

In this emergency, he wrote to Captain Sowle, 
commander of the Beaver. The letter, which 



532 ASTORIA. 

was addressed to him at Canton, directed him to 
proceed to the factory at the mouth of the Co- 
lumbia, with such articles as the establishment 
might need ; and to remain there, subject to the 
orders of Mr. Hunt, should that gentleman be in 
command there. 

The war continued. No tidings had yet been 
received from Astoria ; the dispatches having been 
delayed by the misadventure of Mr. Reed at the 
falls of the Columbia, and the unhorsing of 'Mr. 
Stuart by the Crows among the mountains. A 
painful uncertainty, also, prevailed about Mr. Hunt 
and his party. Nothing had been heard of them 
since their departure from the Arickara village ; 
Lisa, who parted from them there, had predicted 
their destruction ; and some of the traders of the 
Northwest Company had actually spread a rumor 
of their having been cut off by the Indians. 

It was a hard trial of the courage and means 
of an individual to have to fit out another costly 
expedition, where so much had already been ex- 
pended, so much uncertainty prevailed, and where 
the risk of loss was so greatly enhanced, that no 
insurance could be effected. 

In spite of all these discouragements, Mr. 
Astor determined to send another ship to the re- 
lief of the settlement. He selected for this pur- 
pose a vessel called the Lark, remarkable for her 
fast sailing. The disordered state of the times, 
however, caused such a delay, that February ar- 
rived, while the vessel was yet lingering in port. 

At this juncture, Mr. Astor learnt that the 
Northwest Company were preparing to send out 



GOVERNMENT AID INVOKED. 533 

an armed ship of twenty guns, called the Isaac 
Todd, to form an establishment at the mouth of 
the Columbia. These tidings gave him great un- 
easiness. A considerable proportion of the persons 
in his employ were Scotchmen and Canadians, 
and several of them had been in the service of 
the Northwest Company. Should Mr. Hunt have 
failed to arrive at Astoria, the whole establish- 
ment would be under the control of Mr. M'Dougal, 
of whose fidelity he had received very disparaging 
accounts from Captain Thorn. The British gov- 
ernment, also, might deem it worth while to send 
a force against the establishment, having been 
urged to do so some time previously by the 
Northwest Company. 

Under all these circumstances, Mr. Astor wrote 
to Mr. Monroe, then secretary of state, requesting 
protection from the government of the United 
States. He represented the importance of his 
settlement, in a commercial point of view, and 
the shelter it might aflford to the American vessels 
in those seas. All he asked was that the Amer- 
ican government would throw forty or fifty men 
into the fort at his establishment, which would be 
sufficient for its defense until he could send rein- 
forcements over land. 

He waited in vain for a reply to this letter, 
the government, no doubt, being engrossed at the 
time by an overwhelming crowd of affairs. The 
month of March arrived, and the Lark was ordered 
by Mr. Astor to put to sea. The officer who was 
to command her, shrunk from his engagement, and 
in the exigency of the moment, she was given in 



534 ASTORIA. 

charge to Mr. Northrop, the mate. Mr. Nicholas 
G. Ogden, a gentleman on whose talents and in- 
tegrity the highest reliance could be placed, sailed 
as supercargo. The Lark put to sea in the 
beginning of March, 1813. 

By this opportunity, Mr. Astor wrote to Mr. 
Hunt, as head of the establishment at the mouth 
of the Columbia, for he would not allow himself 
to doubt of his welfare. "I always think you 
are well," said he, " and that I shall see you again, 
which Heaven, I hope, will grant." 

He warned him to be on his guard against 
any attempts to surprise the post ; suggesting the 
probability of armed hostility on the part of the 
Northwest Company, and expressing his indig- 
nation at the ungrateful returns made by that as- 
sociation for his frank and open conduct, and ad- 
vantageous overtures. " Were I on the spot"," 
said he, "and had the management of affairs, I 
would defy them all ; but, as it is, everything de- 
pends upon you and your friends about you. Our 
e7iterprise is grand, and deserves success, and I hope 
i?i God it will meet it. If my object was merely 
gain of money, I should say, think whether it is 
best to save what we can, and abandon the place ; 
hut the very idea is like a dagger to my heart." 
This extract is sufficient to show the spirit and 
the views which actuated Mr. Astor in this great 
undertaking. 

Week after week and month after month elapsed, 
without anything to dispel the painful incertitude 
that hung over every part of this enterprise. 
Though a man of resolute spirit, and not easily 



A GLEAM OF SUNSHINE. 535 

cast down, the dangers impending over this dar- 
ling scheme of his ambition, had a gradual effect 
upon the spirits of Mr. Astor. He was sitting 
one gloomy evening by his window, revolving 
over the loss of the Tonquin and the fate of her 
unfortunate crew, and fearing that some equally 
tragical calamity might have befallen the ad- 
venturers across the mountains, when the evening 
newspaper was brought to him. The first para- 
graph that caught his eye, announced the arrival 
of Mr. Stuart and his party at St. Louis, with 
intelligence that Mr. Hunt and his companions 
had effected their perilous expedition to the mouth 
of the Columbia. Tiiis was a gleam of sunshine 
that for a time dispelled every cloud, and he now 
looked forward with sanguine hope to the ac- 
complishment of all his plans. 





CHAPTER LIT. 

HE course of our narrative now takes 
us back to the regions beyond the 
mountains, to dispose o£ the parties 
that set out from Astoria, in company with Mr. 
Robert Stuart, and whom he left on the banks 
of the Wall ah -Wallah. Those parties likewise 
separated from each other shortly after his de- 
parture, proceeding to their respective destina- 
tions, but agreeing to meet at the mouth of the 
Wallah-Wallah about the beginning of June in 
the following year, with such peltries as they 
should have collected in the interior, so as to con- 
voy each other through the dangerous passes of 
the Columbia. 

Mr. David Stuart, one of the partners, pro- 
ceeded with his men to the post already estab- 
lished by him at the mouth of the Oakinagan ; 
having furnished this with goods and ammunition, 
be proceeded three hundred miles up that river, 
where he established another post in a good trad- 
ing neighborhood. 

Mr. Clarke, another partner, conducted his 
little band up Lewis River to the mouth of a 
small stream coming in from the north, to which 
the Canadians gave the name of the Pavion. 
Here he found a village or encampment of forty 



MR. CLARKE'S DESTINATION. 537 

huts or tents, covered with mats, and inhabited 
by Nez Perces, or Pierced-nose Indians, as they 
are called by the traders ; but Chipunnish, as 
they are called by themselves. They are a 
hardy, laborious, and somewhat knavish race, 
who lead a precarious life, fishing and digging 
roots during the summer and autumn, hunting 
the deer on snow-shoes during the winter, and 
traversing the Rocky Mountains in the spring, to 
trade for buflfalo skins with the hunting tribes 
of the Missouri. In these migrations they are 
liable to be waylaid and attacked by the Black- 
feet, and other warlike and predatory tribes, and 
driven back across the mountains with the loss 
of their horses, and of many of their comrades. 

A life of this unsettled and precarious kind is 
apt to render man selfish, and such Mr. Clarke 
found the inhabitants of this village, who were 
deficient in the usual hospitality of Indians ; 
parting with everything with extreme reluctance, 
and showing no sensibility to any act of kind- 
ness. At the time of his arrival, they were all 
occupied in catching and curing salmon. The 
men were stout, robust, active, and good looking, 
and the women handsomer than those of the tribes 
nearer to the coast. 

It was the plan of Mr. Clarke to lay up his 
boats here, and proceed by land to his place of 
destination, which was among the Spokan tribe 
of Indians, about a hundred and fifty miles dis- 
tant. He accordingly endeavored to purchase 
horses for the journey, but in this he had to con- 
tend with the sordid disposition of these people. 



538 ASTORIA. 

They asked high prices for their horses, and were 
so difficult to deal with, that Mr. Clarke was de- 
tained seven days among them, before he could 
procure a sufficient number. During that time 
he was annoyed by repeated pilferings, for which 
he could get no redress. The chief promised to 
recover the stolen articles ; but failed to do so, 
alleging that the thieves belonged to a distant 
tribe, and had made off with their booty. With 
this excuse Mr. Clarke was fain to content him- 
self, though he laid up in his heart a bitter grudge 
against the whole Pierced-nose race which it will 
be found he took occasion subsequently to gratify 
in a signal manner. 

Having made arrangements for his departure, 
Mr. Clarke laid up his barge and canoes in a 
sheltered place, on the banks of a small bay, 
overgrown with shrubs and willows, confiding 
them to the care of the Nez Perce chief, who, 
on being promised an ample compensation, en- 
gaged to have a guardian eye upon them ; then 
mounting his steed, and putting himself at the 
head of his little caravan, he shook the dust off 
his feet as he turned his back upon this village 
of rogues and hard dealers. We shall not fol- 
low him minutely in his journey ; which lay at 
times over steep and rocky hills, and among 
crags and precipices ; at otlier times over vast 
naked and sunburnt plains, abounding with rat- 
tlesnakes, in traversing which, both men and 
horses suffered intolerably from heat and thirst. 
The place on which he fixed for a trading post, 
was a fine point of land, at the junction of the 



MR. MCKENZIE'S POST. 539 

Pointed Heart and Spokan Rivers. His estab- 
lishment was intended to compete with a tradiuo- 
post of the Northwest Company, situated at no 
great distance, and to rival it in the trade with 
the Spokan Indians ; as well as with the Cooto- 
nais and Flatheads. In this neighborhood we 
shall leave him for the present. 

Mr. M'Kenzie, who conducted the third party 
from the Wallah- Wallah, navigated for several 
days up the south branch of the Columbia, 
named the Camoenum by the natives, but com- 
monly called Lewis River, in honor of the first 
explorer. Wandering bands of various tribes 
were seen along this river, travelling in various 
directions ; for the Indians generally are restless, 
roving beings, continually intent on enterprises 
of war, traffic, and hunting. Some of these 
people were driving large gangs of horses, as if 
to a distant market. Having arrived at the 
mouth of the Shahaptan, he ascended some dis- 
tance up that river, and established his trading 
post upon its banks. This appeared to be a 
great thoroughfare for the tribes from the neigh- 
borhood of the Falls of the Columbia, in their 
expeditions to make war upon the tribes of the 
Rocky Mountains ; to hunt buffalo on the plains 
beyond, or to traffic for roots and buffalo robes. 
It was the season of migration, and the Indians 
from various distant parts were passing and re- 
passing in great numbers. 

Mr. M'Kenzie now detached a small band, 
under the qonduct of Mr. John Reed, to visit 
the caches made by Mr. Hunt at the Caldron 



540 ASTORIA. 

Linn, and to bring the contents to his post ; as 
he depended, in some measure, on them for his 
supplies of goods and ammunition. They had 
not been gone a week, when two Indians ar- 
rived of the Pallatapalla tribe, who live upon a 
river of the same name. These communicated 
the unwelcome intelligence that the caches had 
been robbed. They said that some of their tribe 
had, in the course of the preceding spring, been 
across the mountains, which separated them from 
Snake River, and had traded horses with the 
Snakes in exchange for blankets, robes, and goods 
of various descriptions. These articles the Snakes 
had procured from caches to which they were 
guided by some white men who resided among 
them, and who afterwards accompanied them 
across the Rocky Mountains. This intelligence 
was extrennely perplexing to Mr. M'Kenzie, but 
the truth of part of it was confirmed by the two 
Indians, who brought them an English saddle 
and bridle, which was recognized as having be- 
longed to Mr. Crooks. The perfidy of the white 
men who revealed the secret of the caches, was, 
however, perfectly inexplicable. We shall pres- 
ently account for it in narrating the expedition 
of Mr. Reed. 

That worthy Hibernian proceeded on his mis- 
sion with his usual alacrity. His forlorn trav- 
els of the preceding winter had made him ac- 
qucainted with the topography of the country, 
and he reached Snake River without any mate- 
rial difficulty. Here, in an encampment of the 
natives, he met with six white men, wanderers 



ROBBERY OF THE CACHES. 541 

from the main expedition of Mr. Hunt, who, 
after having had their respective shares of ad- 
ventures and mishaps, had fortunately come to- 
gether at this place. Three of these men were 
Turcotte, La Chapelle, and Francis Landry; 
the three Canadian voyageurs who, it may be 
recollected, had left Mr. Crooks in February, in 
the neighborhood of Snake River, being dis- 
mayed by the increasing hardships of the jour- 
ney, and fearful of perishing of hunger. They 
had returned to a Snake encampment, where 
they passed the residue of the winter. 

Early in the spring, being utterly destitute, 
and in great extremity, and having worn out 
the hospitality of the Snakes, they determined 
to avail themselves of the buried treasures within 
their knowledge. They accordingly informed 
the Snake chieftains that they knew where a 
great quantity of goods had been left in caches, 
enough to enrich the whole tribe ; and offered to 
conduct them to the place, on condition of being 
rewarded with horses and provisions. The chief- 
tains pledged their faith and honor as great men 
and Snakes, and the three Canadians conducted 
them to the place of deposit at the Caldron Linn. 
This is the way that the savages got knowledge 
of the caches, and not by following the tracks of 
wolves, as Mr. Stuart had supposed. Never did 
money diggers turn up a raiser's hoard with 
more eager delight, than did the savages lay 
open the treasures of the caches. Blankets and 
robes, brass trinkets and blue beads were drawn 
forth with chuckling exultation, and long strips 
of scarlet cloth produced yells of ecstasy. 



542 ASTORIA. 

The rifling of the caches effected a change in 
the fortunes and deportment of the whole party. 
The Snakes were better clad and equipped than 
ever were Snakes before, and the three Cana- 
dians, suddenly finding themselves with horse to 
ride and weapon to wear, were, like beggars on 
horseback, ready to ride on any wild scamper. 
An opportunity soon presented. The Snakes de- 
termined on a hunting match on the buffalo prai- 
ries, to lay in a supply of beef, that they might 
live in plenty, as became men of their improved 
condition. The three newly mounted cavaliers 
must fain accompany them. They all traversed 
the Rocky Mountains in safety, descended to the 
head waters of the Missouri, and made great 
havoc among the buffaloes. 

Their hunting camp was full of meat ; they 
were gorging themselves, like true Indians, with 
jDresent plenty, and drying and jerking great 
quantities for a winter's sujoply. In the midst of 
their revelry and good cheer, the camp was sur- 
prised by the Blackfeet. Several of the Snakes 
were slain on the spot ; the residue, with their 
three Canadian allies, fled to the mountains, 
stripped of horses, buffalo meat, everything ; and 
made their way back to the old encampment on 
Snake River, poorer than ever, but esteeming 
themselves fortunate in having escaped with their 
lives. They had not been long there when the 
Canadians were cheered by the sight of a com- 
panion in misfortune, Dubreuil, the poor voyageur 
who had left Mr. Crooks in March, being too 
much exhausted to keep on with him. Not long 



A GATHER mo OF STRAGGLERS. 543 

afterwards, three other straggling members of the 
main expedition made their appearance. These 
were Carson, St. Michael, and Pierre Delaimay, 
three of the trappers who, in company with 
Pierre Detaye, had been left among the moun- 
tains by Mr. Hunt, to trap beaver, in the preced- 
ing month of September. They had departed 
from the main body well armed and provided, 
with horses to ride, and horses to carry the peltries 
they were to collect. They came wandering into 
the Snake camp as ragged and destitute as their 
predecessors. It appears that they had finished 
their trapping, and were making their way in the 
spring to the Missouri, when they were met and 
attacked by a powerful band of the all-pervading 
Crows. They made a desperate resistance, and 
killed seven of the savages, but were overpowered 
by numbers. Pierre Detaye was slain, the rest 
were robbed of horses and effects, and obliged to 
turn back, when they fell in with their okf com- 
panions, as already mentioned. 

We should observe, that at the heels of Pierre 
Delaunay came draggling an Indian wife, whom 
he had picked up in his wanderings ; having 
grown weary of celibacy among the savages. 

The whole seven of this forlorn fraternity of 
adventurers, thus accidently congregated on the 
banks of Snake River, were making arrangements 
once more to cross the mountams, when some 
Indian scouts brought word of the approach of 
the little band headed by John Reed. 

The latter, havmg heard the several stories of 
these wanderers, took them all mto liis party, and 



544 ASTORIA. 

set out for the Caldron Linn, to clear out two or 
three of the caches which had not been revealed 
to the Indians. 

At that place he met with Robinson, the Ken- 
tucky veteran, who, with his two comrades, 
Rezner and Hoback, had remained there when 
Mr. Stuart went on. This adventurous trio had 
been trapping higher up the river, but Robinson 
had come down in a canoe, to await the expected 
arrival of the party, and obtain horses and equip- 
ments. He told Reed the story of the robbery 
of liis party by the Arapahays, but it differed, in 
some particulars, from the account given by liim 
to Mr. Stuart. In that, he had represented Cass 
as having shamefully deserted his companions in 
their extremity, carrying off with him a horse ; 
in the one now given, he spoke of him as having 
been killed in the affray with the Arapahays. 
Tliis discrepancy, of which, of course, Reed could 
have had no knowledge at the time, concurred 
with other circumstances, to occasion afterwards 
some mysterious speculations and dark surmises 
as to the real fate of Cass ; but as no substantial 
grounds were ever adduced for them, we forbear 
to throw any deeper shades into this story of suf- 
ferings in the wilderness. 

Mr. Reed, having gathered the remainder of the 
goods from the caches, put himself at the head 
of his party, now augmented by the seven men 
thus casually picked up, and the squaw of Pierre 
Delaunay, and made his way successfully to 
M'Kenzie's Post, on the waters of the Shahaptan. 



CHAPTER LHL 




^FTER the departure of the different 
detachments, or brigades, as they are 
called by the fur traders, the Beaver 
prepared for her voyage along the coast, and her 
visit to the Russian establishment, at New Arch- 
angel, where she was to carry sujDplies. It had 
been determined in the council of partners at 
Astoria, that Mr. Hunt should embark in this 
vessel, for the purpose of acquainting himself 
with the coasting trade, and of making arrange- 
ments with the commander of the Russian post, 
and that he should be relanded in October, at 
Astoria, by the Beaver, on her way to the Sand- 
wich Islands and Canton. 

The Beaver put to sea in the month of August. 
Her departure, and that of the various brigades, 
left the fortress of Astoria but slightly garrisoned. 
This was soon perceived by some of the Indian 
tribes, and the consequence was, increased inso- 
lence of deportment, and a disjDosition to hostility. 
It was now the fishing season, when the tribes 
from the northern coast drew into the neighbor- 
hood of the Columbia. These were warlike and 
perfidious in their dispositions ; and noted for 
their attempts to surprise trading ships. Among 
them were numbers of the Neweetees, the fero- 
35 



546 ASTORIA. 

cioiis tribe that massacred the crew of the Ton- 
quiii. 

Great precautions, therefore, were taken at the 
factory, to guard against surprise while these 
dangerous intruders were in the vicinity. Gal- 
leries were constructed inside of the palisades ; 
the bastions were heightened, and sentinels were 
posted day and night. Fortunately, the Chinooks 
and other tribes resident in the vicinity manifested 
the most pacific disposition. Old Comcomly, who 
held sway over them, was a shrewd calculator. 
He was aware of the advantages of having the 
whites as neighbors and allies, and of the con- 
sequence derived to himself and his people from 
actino; as intermediate traders between them and 
the distant tribes. He had, therefore, by this 
time, become a firm friend of the Astorians, and 
formed a kind of barrier between them and the 
hostile intruders from the north. 

The summer of 1812 passed away without any 
of the hostilities that had been apprehended ; the 
Neweetees, and other dangerous visitors to the 
neighborhood, finished their fishing and returned 
home, and the inmates of the factory once more 
felt secure from attack. 

It now became necessary to guard against 
other evils. The season of scarcity arrived, which 
commences in October, and lasts until the end of 
January. To provide for the support of the gar- 
rison, the shallop was employed to forage about 
the shores of the river. A number of the men, 
also, under the command of some of the clerks, 
were sent to quarter themselves on the banks of 



{GLOOMY APPREHENSIONS. 547 

the Wollamut (the Multnomah of Lewis and 
Clark), a fine river which disembogues itself into 
the Columbia, about sixty miles above Astoria. 
The country bordering on the river is finely diver- 
sified with prairies and hills, and forests of oak, 
ash, maple and cedar. It abounded, at that 
time, with elk and deer, and the streams were 
well stocked with beaver. Here the party, after 
supplying their own wants, were enabled to pack 
up quantities of dried meat, and send it by canoes 
to Astoria. 

The month of October elapsed without the 
return of the Beaver. November, December, 
January, passed away, and still nothing was seen 
or heard of her. Gloomy apprehensions now 
began to be entertained : she might have been 
wrecked in the course of her coasting voyage, or 
surprised, like the Tonquin, by some of the treach- 
erous tribes of the north. 

No one indulged more in these apprehensions 
than M'Dougal, who had now the charge of the 
establishment. He no longer evinced the bus- 
tling confidence and buoyancy which once charac- 
terized him. Command seemed to have lost its 
charms for him, or rather, he gave way to the 
most abject despondency, decrying the whole en- 
terprise, magnifying every untoward circumstance, 
and foreboding nothing but evil. 

While in this moody state, he was surprised, 
on the 16th of January, by the sudden appear- 
ance of M'Kenzie, wayworn and weather-beaten 
by a long wintry journey from his post on the 
Shahaptan, and with a face the very frontispiece 



548 ASTORIA. 

for a volume of misfortune. M'Kenzie had been 
heartily disgusted and disappointed at his post. 
It was in the midst of the Tushepaws, a powerful 
and warlike nation, divided into many tribes, under 
different chiefs, who possessed innumerable horses, 
but, not having turned their attention to beaver 
trapping, had no furs to offer. According to 
M'Kenzie, they were but a " rascally tribe ; " from 
which we may infer that they were prone to con- 
sult their own interests, more than comported 
with the interests of a greedy Indian trader. 

Game being scarce, he was obliged to rely, for 
the most part, on horse-flesh for subsistence, and 
the Indians discovering his necessities, adopted a 
policy usual in civilized trade, and raised the 
price of horses to an exorbitant rate, knowing 
that he and his men must eat or die. In this 
way, the goods he had brought to trade for beaver- 
skins, were likely to be bartered for horse-flesh, 
and all the proceeds devoured upon the spot. 

He had dispatched trappers in various direc- 
tions, but the country around did not offer more 
beaver than his own station. In this emer- 
gency he began to think of abandoning his un- 
profitable post, sending his goods to the posts of 
Clarke and David Stuart, who could make a 
better use of them, as they were in a good beaver 
country, and returning with his party to Astoria, 
to seek some better destination. With this view 
he repaired to the post of Mr. Clarke, to hold a 
consultation. While the two partners were in 
conference in Mr. Clarke's wigwam, an unexi^ected 
visitor came bustling in upon them. 



A RASH RESOLUTION. 549 

This was Mr. John George M'Tavish, a part- 
ner of the Northwest Company, who had charge 
of the rival trading posts established in that 
neighborhood. Mr. M'Tavish was the dehghted 
messenger of bad news. He had been to Lake 
Winnipeg, where he received an express from 
Canada, containing the declaration of war, and 
President Madison's proclamation, which he hand- 
ed with the most officious complaisance to Messrs. 
Clarke and M'Kenzie. He moreover told them 
that he had received a fresh supply of goods from 
the Northwest posts on the other side of the 
Eocky Mountains, and was prepared for vigorous 
opposition to the estabUshment of the American 
Company. He capped the chmax of this oblig- 
ing, but belligerent intelligence, by informing 
them that the armed ship, Isaac Todd, was to be 
at the mouth of the Columbia about the begin- 
ning of March, to get possession of the trade of 
the river, and that he was ordered to join her 
there at that time. 

The receipt of this news determined M'Kenzie. 
He immediately returned to the Shahaptan, broke 
up his establishment, deposited his goods in cache, 
and hastened with all liis people to Astoria. 

The intelligence thus brought, completed the 
dismay of M'Dougal, and seemed to produce a 
complete confusion of mind. He held a council 
of war with M'Kenzie, at which some of the 
clerks were present, but of course had no votes. 
They gave up all hope of maintainuig their post 
at Astoria. The Beaver had probably been lost ; 
they could receive no aid from the United States, 



550 ASTORIA. 

as all the ports would be blockaded. From Eng- 
land nothing could be expected but hostility. It 
was determined therefore, to abandon the estab- 
lishment in the course of the following spring, 
and return across the Rocky Mountains. 

In pursuance of this resolution, they suspended 
all trade with the natives, except for provisions, 
having already more peltries than they could 
carry away, and having need of all the goods for 
the clothing and subsistence of their people, dur- 
ing the remainder of their sojourn, and on their 
journey across the mountains. This intention of 
abandoning Astoria was, however, kept secret 
from the men, lest they sliould at once give up 
all labor, and become restless and insubordinate. 

In the meantime, M'Kenzie set off for his post 
at the Shahaptan, to get liis goods from the 
caches, and buy horses and provisions with them 
for the caravan across the mountains. He was 
charged with dispatches from M'Dougal to Messrs. 
Stuart and Clarke, apprising them of the intended 
migration, that they might make timely prepara- 
tions. 

M'Kenzie was accompanied by two of the 
clerks, Mr. John Reed, the Irishman, and Mr. 
Alfred Seton, of New York. They embarked in 
two canoes, manned by seventeen men, and as- 
cended the river without any incident of im])ort- 
ance, until they arrived in the eventful neighbor- 
hood of the rapids. They made the portage of the 
narrows and the falls early in the afternoon, and, 
having partaken of a scanty meal, had now a long 
evening on their hands. 



A DEN OF RUFFIANS. 551 

On the opposite side of tlie river lay the 
village of Wish-ram, of freebooting renown. 
Here lived the savages who had robbed and mal- 
treated Reed, when bearing his tin box of dis- 
patches. It was known that the rifle of which 
he was despoiled was retained as a trophy at the 
village. M'Kenzie offered to cross the river, and 
demand the rifle, if any one would accompany 
him. It was a hare-brained project, for these 
villages were noted for the ruffian character of 
their inhabitants ; yet two volunteers promptly 
stepped forward; Alfred Seton, the clerk, and 
Joe de la Pierre, the cook. The trio soon 
reached the opposite side of the river. On land- 
ing, they freslily primed their rifles and pistols. 
A path winding for about a hundred yards among 
rocks and erases, led to the village. No notice 
seemed to be taken of their approach. Not a 
solitary being, man, woman, or child, greeted them. 
The very dogs, those noisy pests of an Indian 
town, kept silence. On entering the village, a 
boy made his appearance, and pointed to a house 
of larger dimensions than the rest. Th^y had to 
stoop to enter it ; as soon as they had passed the 
threshold, the narrow passage behind them was 
filled up by a sudden rush of Indians, who had 
before kept out of sight. 

M'Kenzie and his companions found them- 
selves in a rude chamber of about twenty-five 
feet long, and twenty wide. A bright fire was 
blazing at one end, near which sat the chief, 
about sixty years old. A large number of In- 
dians, wrapped in buffalo robes, were squatted in 



552 ASTORIA. 

rows, three deep, forming a semicircle round three 
sides of the room. A single glance around suf- 
ficed to show them the grim and dangerous as- 
sembly into which they had mtruded, and that 
all retreat was cut off by the mass which blocked 
up the entrance. 

The chief j)ointed to the vacant side of the 
room opposite to the door, and motioned for 
them to take their seats. They complied. A 
dead pause ensued. The grim warriors around 
sat like statues ; each muffled in his robe, with 
his fierce eyes bent on the intruders. The lat- 
ter felt they were in a perilous predicament. 

" KeejD your eyes on the chief wliile I am ad- 
dressing him," said M'Kenzie to his companions. 
" Should he give any sign to his band, shoot him, 
and make for the door." 

M'Kenzie advanced, and offered the pipe of 
peace to the chief, but it was refused. He then 
made a regular speech, explainmg the object of 
their visit, and proposing to give in exchange for 
the rifle two blankets, an axe, some beads and 
tobacco. . 

When he had done, the chief rose, began to 
address liira in a low voice, but soon became loud 
and violent, and ended by working himself up 
into a furious passion. He upbraided the white 
men for their sordid conduct in passing and re- 
passing through their neighborhood, without giv- 
ing them a blanket or any other article of goods, 
merely because they had no furs to barter in 
exchange, and he alluded, with menaces of ven- 
geance, to the death of the Indian killed by the 
whites in the skirmish at the falls. 



MEE TIN G WI TH N OR TH WES TERS. 553 

Matters were verging to a crisis. It was 
evident the surrounding savages were only wait- 
ing a signal from the chief to spring upon their 
prey. M'Kenzie and his companions had grad- 
ually risen on their feet during the speech, and 
had brought their rifles to a horizontal position, 
the barrels resting in their left hands ; the muz- 
zle of M'Kenzie's piece was within three feet of 
the speaker's heart. They cocked their rifles; 
the click of the locks for a moment suffused the 
dark cheek of the savage, and there was a j^ause. 
They coolly, but promptly, advanced to the door ; 
the Indians fell back in awe, and suffered them 
to pass. The sun was just setting, as they 
emerged from this dangerous den. They took 
the precaution to keep along the tops of the 
rocks as much as possible on their way back to 
the canoe, and reached their camp in safety, con- 
gratulating 'themselves on their escape, and feel- 
ing no desire to make a second visit to the grim 
warriors of TVish-ram. 

M'Kenzie and liis party resumed their journey 
the next morning. At some distance above the 
falls of the Columbia, they observed two bark 
canoes, filled with white men, coming down the 
river, to the full chant of a set of Canadian voy- 
ageurs. A parley ensued. It was a detachment 
of Northwesters, under the command of Mr. John 
George M'Tavish, bound, full of song and spuit, 
to the mouth of the Columbia, to await the ar- 
rival of the Isaac Todd. 

Mr. M'Kenzie and M'Tavish came to a halt, 
and landing, encamped together for the night. 



554 ASTORIA. 

The voyageurs of either party hailed each other 
as brothers, and old " comrades," and they 
mingled together as if united by one common 
interest, instead of belonging to rival companies, 
and trading under hostile flags. 

In the morning they proceeded on their dif- 
ferent ways, in style corresponding to their dif- 
ferent fortunes : the one toiluig painfully against 
the stream, the other sweeping down gayly with 
the current. 

M'Kenzie arrived safely at his deserted post 
on the Shahaptan, but found, to his chagrin, that 
his caches had been discovered and rifled by the 
Indians. Here was a dilemma, for on the stolen 
goods he had depended to purchase horses of the 
Indians. He sent out men in all directions to 
endeavor to discover the thieves, and dispatched 
Mr. Reed to the posts of Messrs. Clarke and 
David Stuart, with the letters of Mr.'M'Dougal. 

The resolution announced in these letters, to 
break up and depart from Astoria, was con- 
demned by both Clarke and Stuart. These two 
gentlemen had been very successful at their posts, 
and considered it rash and pusillanimous to 
abandon, on the first difficulty, an enterprise of 
such great cost and ample promise. They made 
no arrangements, therefore, for leaving the coun- 
try, but acted with a view to the maintenance of 
their new and prosperous establishments. 

The regular time approached, when the part- 
ners of the interior posts were to rendezvous at 
the mouth of the Wallah- Wallah, on their way 
to Astoria, with the peltries they had collected. 



THEFT OF THE CUP. 555 

Mr. Clarke accordingly packed all his furs on 
twenty-eight horses, and, leaving a clerk and four 
men to take charge of the post, departed on the 
25th of May with the residue of his force. 

On the 30th, he arrived at the confluence of 
the Pavion and Lewis rivers, where he had left 
his barge and canoes, in the guardianship of the 
old Pierced-nosed chieftain. That dignitary had 
acquitted himself more faithfully of his charge 
than Mr. Clarke had expected, and the canoes 
were found in very tolerable order. Some re- 
pairs were necessary, and, while they were mak- 
ing, the party encamped close by the village. 
Having had repeated and vexatious proofs of the 
pilfering propensities of this tribe during his 
former visit, Mr. Clarke ordered that a wary eye 
should be kept upon them. 

He was a tall, good-looking man, and some- 
what given to pomp and circumstance, which 
made him an object of note m the eyes of the 
wondering savages. He was stately, too, in his 
appointments, and had a silver goblet or drink- 
ing cup, out of which he would driuk with a 
magnificent air, and then lock it up in a large 
garde vin, which accompanied him in his travels, 
and stood in his tent. This goblet had orig- 
inally been sent as a present from Mr. Astor to 
^Ii-. M'Kay, the partner who had unfortunately 
been blown up in the Tonquin. As it reached 
Astoria after the departure of that gentleman, it 
had remained in the j)Ossession of Mr. Clarke. 

A silver goblet was too glittering a prize not 
to catch the eye of a Pierced-nose. It was like 



556 ASTORIA. 

the shining tin case of John Reed. Such a 
wonder had never been seen in the land before. 
The Indians talked about it to one another. 
They marked the care with which it was depos- 
ited in the garde vin, like a relic in its shrine, 
and concluded that it must be a " great medicine." 
That night Mr. Clarke neglected to lock up his 
treasure ; in the morning the sacred casket was 
open — the precious relic gone ! 

Clarke was now outrageous. All the past 
vexations that he had suffered from this pilfering 
community rose to mind, and he threatened, 
that, unless the goblet was promptly returned, he 
would hang the thief, should he eventually dis- 
cover him. The day passed away, however, 
without the restoration of the cup. At night 
sentinels were secretly posted about the camp. 
With all their vigilance, a Pierced-nose contrived 
to get into the camp unperceived, and to load 
himself with booty ; it was only on his retreat 
that he was discovered and taken. 

At daybreak the culprit was brought to trial, 
and promptly convicted. He stood responsible 
for all the spoliations of the camp, the precious 
goblet among the number, and Mr. Clarke passed 
sentence of death upon him. 

A gibbet was accordingly constructed of oars : 
the chief of the village and his people were as- 
sembled, and the culprit was produced, with his 
legs and arms pinioned. Clarke then made a 
harangue. He reminded the tribe of the ben- 
efits he had bestowed upon them durmg his 
former visits, and the many thefts and other mis- 



AN EXECUTION. 557 

deeds which he had overlooked. The prisoner, 
especially, had always been peculiarly well treated 
by the white men, but had repeatedly been guilty 
of pilfering. He was to be punished for his own 
misdeeds, and as a warning to his tribe. 

The Indians now gathered round Mr. Clarke, 
and interceded for the culprit. They were wil- 
ling he should be punished severely, but implored 
that his life might be spai'ed. The companions, 
too, of Mr. Clarke, considered the sentence too 
severe, and advised him to mitigate it; but he 
was inexorable. He was not naturally a stern or 
cruel man ; but from his boyhood he had lived 
in the Lidian country among Indian traders, and 
held the life of a savage extremely cheap. He 
was, moreover, a firm believer in the doctrine of 
intimidation. 

Farnham, a clerk, a tall " Green Mountain 
boy " from Vermont, who had been robbed of a 
pistol, acted as executioner. The signal was 
given, and the poor Pierced-nose resisting, strug- 
gling, and screaming, in the most frightful man- 
ner, was launched into eternity. The Indians 
stood round gazing in silence and mute awe, but 
made no attempt to oppose the execution, nor 
testified any emotion when it was over. They 
locked up their feelings within their bosoms 
until an opportunity should arrive to gratify them 
with a bloody act of vengeance. 

To say nothing of the needless severity of 
this act, its impolicy was glaringly obvious. Mr. 
M'Lennan and three men were to return to the 
post with the horses, their loads having been 



558 ASTORIA. 

transferred to the canoes. They would have to 
pass through a tract of country infested by this 
tribe, who were all horsemen and hard riders, 
and might pursue them to take vengeance for the 
death of their comrade. M'Lennan, however, was 
a resolute fellow, and made light of all dangers. 
He and his three men were present at the exe- 
cution, and set off as soon as life was extinct in 
the victim ; but, to use the words of one of their 
comrades, " they did not let the grass grow under 
the heels of their horses, as they clattered out of 
the Pierced-nose country," and were glad to find 
themselves in safety at the post. 

Mr. Clarke and his party embarked ^about the 
same time in their canoes, and early on the fol- 
lowing day reached the mouth of the Wallah- 
Wallah, where they found Messrs. Stuart and 
M'Kenzie awaiting them ; the latter having re- 
covered part of the goods stolen from his cache. 
Clarke informed them of the signal punishment 
he had inflicted on the Pierced-nose, evidently 
expecting to excite their admiration by such a 
hardy act of justice, performed in the very midst 
of the Indian country, but was mortified at find- 
ing it strongly censured as inhuman, unnecessary, 
and likely to jDrovoke hostilities. 

The parties thus united formed a squadron of 
two boats and six canoes, with which they per- 
formed their voyage in safety down the river, and 
arrived at Astoria on the 12th of June, bringing 
with them a valuable stock of peltries. 

About ten days previously, the brigade which 
had been quartered on the banks of the WoUa- 



PELTRIES FROM THE WOLLAMUT. 559 

mut, had arrived with numerous packs of beaver, 
the result of a few months' sojourn on that 
river. These were the first fruits of the enter- 
prise, gathered by men as yet mere strangers in 
the land; but they were such as to give sub- 
stantial grounds for sanguine anticipations o\ 
profit, when the country should be more com 
pletely explored, and the trade established. 





CHAPTER LIV. 




HE partners found Mr. M'Dougal in all 
the bustle of preparation ; having about 
nine days previously announced at the 
factory, his intention of breaking up the estab- 
lishment, and fixed upon the 1st of July for the 
time of departure. Messrs. Stuart and Clarke 
felt highly displeased at his taking so precipitate 
a step, without waiting for their concurrence, 
when he must have known that their arrival 
could not be far distant. 

Indeed, the whole conduct of Mr. M'Dougal 
was such as to awaken strong doubts as to his 
loyal devotion to the cause. His old sympathies 
with the Northwest Company seem to have re- 
vived. He had received M'Tavish and his party 
with uncalled for hospitality, as though they were 
friends and allies, instead of being a party of 
observation, come to reconnoitre the state of 
affairs at Astoria, and to await the arrival of a 
hostile ship. Had they been left to themselves, 
they would have been starved off for want of 
provisions, or driven away by the Chinooks, who 
only wanted a signal from the factory to treat 
them as intruders and enemies. M'Dougal, on 
the contrary, had supplied them from the stores 



TMANSACTIONS AT ASTORIA. 561 

of the garrison, and had gained them the favor 
of the Indians, by treating thera as friends. 

Having set his mind fixedly on the project of 
breaking up the establishment at Astoria, in the 
current year, M'Dougal was sorely disappointed 
at finding that Messrs. Stuart and Clarke had 
omitted to comply with his request to purchase 
horses and provisions for the caravan across the 
mountains. It was now too late to make the 
necessary preparations in time for traversing the 
mountains before winter, and the project had to 
be postponed. 

In the meantime, the non-arrival of the annual 
ship, and the apprehensions entertained of the 
loss of the Beaver and of Mr. Hunt, had their 
effect upon the minds of Messrs. Stuart and 
Clarke. They began to listen to the despond- 
ing representations of M'Dougal, seconded by 
M'Kenzie, who inveighed against their situation 
as desperate and forlorn ; left to shift for them- 
selves, or perish upon a barbarous coast ; neg- 
lected by those who sent them there, and threat- 
ened with dangers of every kind. In this way 
they were brought to consent to the plan of 
abandoning the country in the ensuing year. 

About this time, M'Tavish applied at the fac- 
tory to purchase a small supply of goods where- 
with to trade his way back to his post on the 
upper waters of the Columbia, having waited in 
vain for the arrival of the Isaac Todd. His 
request brought on a consultation among the 
partners. M'Dougal urged that it should be 
complied with. He furthermore proposed, that 



562 ASTORIA. 

they should give up to M'Tavish, for a proper 
consideration, the post on the Spokan, and all its 
dependencies, as they had not sufficient goods on 
hand to supply that post themselves, and to keep 
up a competition with the Northwest Company in 
the trade with the neighboring Indians. This 
last representation has since been proved incor- 
rect. By inventories, it appears that their stock 
in hand for the supply of the interior posts, was 
superior to that of the Northwest Company ; so 
that they had nothing to fear from competition. 

Throuo;h the influence of Messrs. M'Douoral 
and M'Kenzie, this proposition was adopted, and 
was promptly accepted by M'Tavish. The mer- 
chandise sold to him amounted to eight hundred 
and fifty-eight dollars, to be paid for, in the fol- 
lowing spring, in horses, or in any other manner 
most acceptable to the partners at that period. 

This agreement being concluded, the partners 
formed their plans for the year that they would 
yet have to pass in the country. Their objects 
were, chiefly, present subsistence, and the pur- 
chase of horses for the contemplated journey, 
though they were likewise to collect as much 
peltries as their diminished means would com- 
mand. Accordingly, it was arranged, that David 
Stuart should return to his former post on the 
Oakinagan, and Mr. Clarke should make his 
sojourn among the Flatheads. John Reed, the 
sturdy Hibernian, was to undertake the Snake 
River country, accompanied by Pierre Dorion 
and Pierre Delaunay, as hunters, and Francis 



PLANS FOR TEE YEAR. 563 

Landry, Jean Baptiste Turcotte, Andre la Cha- 
pelle, and Gilles le Clerc, Canadian voyageurs. 

Astoria, however, was the post about which 
they felt the greatest solicitude, and on which 
they all more or less depended. The maintenance 
of this in safety throughout the coming year, 
was, therefore, their grand consideration. Mr. 
M'Dougal was to continue in command of it, 
with a party of forty men. They would have 
to depend chiefly upon the neighboring savages 
for their subsistence. These, at present, were 
friendly, but it was to be feared that, when they 
should discover the exigencies of the post, and 
its real weakness, they might proceed to hostili- 
ties ; or, at any rate, might cease to furnish their 
usual supplies. It was important, therefore, to 
render the place as independent as possible, of 
the surrounding tribes for its support ; and it 
was accordingly resolved that M'Kenzie, with 
four hunters, and eight common men, should 
winter in the abundant country of Wollamut, 
from whence they might be enabled to furnish a 
constant supply of provisions to Astoria. 

As there was too great a proportion of clerks 
for the number of privates in the service, the 
engagements of three of them, Ross Cox, Ross, 
and M'Lennan, were surrendered to them, and 
they immediately enrolled themselves in the ser- 
vice of the Northwest Company ; glad, no doubt, 
to escape from what they considered a sinking 
ship. 

Having made all these arrangements, the four 
partners, on the first of July, signed a formal 



564 ^ ASTORIA. 

manifesto, stating the alarming state of their 
affairs, from the non-arrival of the annual ship, 
and the absence and apprehended loss of the 
Beaver, their want of goods, their despair of 
receiving any further supply, their ignorance of 
the coast, and their disappointment as to the 
interior trade, which they pronounced unequal to 
the expenses incurred, and incompetent to stand 
against the powerful opposition of the Northwest 
Company. And as by the 16th article of the 
company's agreement, they were authorized to 
abandon this undertaking, and dissolve the con- 
cern, if before the period of five years it should 
be found unprofitable, they now formally an- 
nounced their intention to do so on the 1st day of 
June, of the ensuing year, unless in the interim 
they should receive the necessary support and 
supplies from Mr. Astor, or the stockholders, 
with orders to continue. 

This instrument, accompanied by private letters 
of similar import, was delivered to Mr. M'Tavish, 
who departed on the 5th of July. He engaged 
to forward the dispatches to Mr. Astor, by the 
usual winter express sent overland by the North- 
west Company. 

The manifesto was signed with great reluctance 
by Messrs. Clarke and D. Stuart, whose expe- 
rience by no means justified the discouraging 
account given in it of the internal trade, and 
who considered the main difficulties of exploring 
an unknown and savage country, and of ascer- 
taining the best trading and trapping grounds, in 
a great measure overcome. They were over- 



MANIFESTO OF THE PARTNERS. 



b^6 



ruled, however, by the urgent instances of 
M'Dougal and M'Kenzie, who, having resolved 
upon abandoning the enterprise, were desirous 
of making as strong a case as possible to excuse 
their conduct to Mr. Astor and to the world. 





CHAPTER LV. 




HILE difficulties and disasters had been 
gathering about the infant settlement of 
Astoria, the mind of its projector at 
New York was a prey to great anxiety. The 
ship Lark, dispatched by him with supplies for 
the establishment, sailed on the 6th of March, 
1813. Within a fortnight afterwards, he re- 
ceived intelligence which justified all his appre- 
hensions of hostility on the part of the British. 
The Northwest Company had made a second 
memorial to that government, representing As- 
toria as an American establishment, stating the 
vast scope of its contemplated operations, magni- 
fying the strength of its fortifications, and ex- 
pressing their fears that, unless crushed in the 
bud, it would effect the downfall of their trade. 

Influenced by these representations, the British 
government ordered the frigate Phoebe to be 
detached as a convoy for the armed ship, Isaac 
Todd, which was ready to sail with men and mu- 
nitions for forming a new establishment. They 
were to proceed together to the mouth of the 
Columbia, capture or destroy whatever American 
fortress they should find there, and plant the 
British flas on its ruins. 



FITTING OUT OF THE ADAMS. 567 

Informed of these movements, Mr. Astor lost 
no time in addressing a second letter to the secre- 
tary of state, communicating this intelligence, and 
requesting it might be laid before the President ; 
as no notice, however, had been taken of his 
previous letter, he contented himself with this 
simple communication, and made no further ap- 
plication for aid. 

Awakened now to the danger that menaced the 
establishment at Astoria, and aware of the im- 
portance of protecting this foothold of American 
commerce and empire on the shores of the Pacific, 
the government determined to send the frigate 
Adams, Captain Crane, upon this service On 
hearing of this determination, Mr. Astor imme- 
diately proceeded to fit out a ship called the 
Enterprise, to sail in company with the Adams, 
freighted with additional supplies and reinforce- 
ments for Astoria. 

About the middle of June, while in the midst 
of these preparations, Mr. Astor received a letter 
from Mr. R. Stuart, dated St. Louis, May 1st, 
confirming the intelligence already received 
through the public newspapers, of his safe return, 
and of the arrival of Mr. Hunt and his party at 
Astoria, and giving the most flattering accounts 
of the prosperity of the enterprise. 

So deep had been the anxiety of Mr. Astor, 
for the success of this great object of his ambition, 
that this gleam of good news was almost over- 
powering. " I felt ready," said he, " to fall upon 
my knees in a transport of gratitude." 

At the same time he heard that the Beaver 



568 ASTORIA. 

had made good her voyage from New York to 
the Columbia. This was additional ground of 
hope for the welfare of the little colony. The 
post being thus relieved and strengthened, with 
an American at its head, and a ship of war about 
to sail for its protection, the prospect for the 
future seemed full of encouragement, and Mr. 
Astor proceeded with fresh vigor to fit out his 
merchant ship. 

Unfortunately for Astoria, this bright gleam 
of sunshine was soon overclouded. Just as the 
Adams had received her complement of men, and 
the two vessels were ready for sea, news came 
from Commodore Chauncey, commanding on Lake 
Ontario, that a reinforcement of seamen was 
wanted in that quarter. The demand was 
urgent, the crew of the Adams was immediately 
transferred to that service, and the ship was laid 
up. 

This was a most ill-timed and discouraging 
blow, but Mr. Astor would not yet allow himself 
to pause in his undertaking. He determined to 
send the Enterprise to sea alone, and let her 
take the chance of making her unprotected way 
across the ocean. Just at this time, however, a 
British force made its appearance off the Hook ; 
and the port of New York was effectually block- 
aded. To send a ship to sea under these cir- 
cumstances, would be to expose her to almost 
certain capture. The Enterprise was, therefore, 
unloaded and dismantled, and Mr. Astor was 
obliged to comfort himself with the hope that the 



FRUSTRATED PLANS. 



569 



Lark might reach Astoria in safety and, that, 
aided by her supplies, and by the good manage- 
ment of Mr. Hunt and his associates, the little 
colony might be able to maintain itself until the 
return of peace. 





CHAPTER LYI. 

E have hitherto had so much to relate of 
a gloomy and disastrous nature, that it 
is with a feeling of momentary relief we 
turn to something of a more pleasing complexion, 
and record the first, and indeed only nuptials in 
high life that took place in the infant settlement 
of Astoria. 

M'Dougal, who appears to have been a man of 
a thousand projects, and of great, though some- 
what irregular ambition, suddenly conceived the 
idea of seeking the hand of one of the native 
princesses, a daughter of the one-eyed potentate 
Comcomly, who held sway over the fishing tribe 
of the Chinooks, and had long supplied the factory 
with smelts and sturgeons. 

Some accounts give rather a romantic origin to 
this affair, tracing it to the stormy night when 
M'Dougal, in the course of an exploring expedi- 
tion, was driven by stress of weather to seek 
shelter in the royal abode of Comcomly. Then 
and there he was first struck with the charms of 
this piscatory princess, as she exerted herself to 
entertain her father's guest. 

The "journal of Astoria," however, which was 
kept under his own eye, records this union as a 
high state alliance, and great stroke of policy. 



MATRIMONIAL ALLIANCE. 571 

The factory had to depend, in a great measure, on 
the Chinooks for jDro^dsions. They were at pres- 
ent friendly, but it was to be feared they would 
prove otherwise, should they discover the weak- 
ness and the exigencies of the post, and the in- 
tention to leave the country. This alliance, there- 
fore, would infallibly rivet Comcomly to the in- 
terests of the Astorians, and with him the power- 
ful tribe of the Chinooks. Be this as it may, and 
it is hard to fathom the real policy of governors 
and princes, M'Dougal disj)atched" two of the 
clerks as ambassadors extraordinary, to wait upon 
the one-eyed cliieftain, and make overtures for the 
hand of his daughter. 

The Chinooks, though not a very refined nation, 
have notions of matrimonial arrangements that 
would not disgrace the most refined sticklers for 
settlements and pin money. The suitor repairs 
not to the bower of his mistress, but to her 
father's lodge, and throws down a present at his 
feet. His wishes are then disclosed by some 
discreet friend employed by him for the purpose. 
If the suitor and his present find favor in the eyes 
of the father, he breaks the matter to his daughter, 
and inquires into the state of her inclinations. 
Should her answer be favorable, the suit is accepted 
and the lover has to make further presents to the 
father, of horses, canoes, and other valuables, ac- 
cording to the beauty and merits of the bride ; 
looking forward to a return in kind whenever they 
shall go to housekeeping. 

"We have more than once had occasion to speak 
of the shrewdness of Comcomly ; but never was 



572 ASTORIA. 

it exerted more adroitly than on this occasion. 
He was a great friend of M'Dougal, and pleased 
with the idea of having so distinguished a son-in- 
law ; but so favorable an opportunity of benefiting 
his own fortune was not likely to occur a second 
time, and he determined to make the most of it. 
Accordingly, the negotiation was jDrotracted with 
true diplomatic skill. Conference after conference 
was held with the two ambassadors. Comcomly 
was extravagant in his terms ; rating the charms 
of his daughter at the highest price, and indeed 
she is represented as having one of the flattest 
and most aristocratical heads in the tribe. At 
length the preliminaries were all happily adjusted. 
On the 20th of July, early in the afternoon, a 
squadron of canoes crossed over from the village 
of the Chinooks, bearing the royal family of Com- 
comly, and all his court. 

That worthy sachem landed in princely state, 
arrayed in a bright blue blanket and red breech 
clout, with an extra quantity of paint and feathers, 
attended by a train of half-naked warriors and 
nobles. A horse was in waiting to receive the 
princess, who was mounted behind one of the 
clerks, and thus conveyed, coy but compliant, to 
the fortress. Here she was received with devout, 
though decent joy, by her expecting bridegroom. 

Her bridal adornments, it is true, at first caused 
some little dismay, having painted and anointed 
herself for the occasion according to the Chinook 
toilet ; by dint, however, of copious ablutions, she 
was freed from all adventitious tint and fragrance, 
and entered into the nuptial state, the cleanest 



ARRIVAL OF A SHIP. 573 

princess that had ever been known, of the some- 
what unctuons tribe of the Chinooks. 

From that time forward, Comcomly was a daily 
visitor at the fort, and was admitted into the most 
intimate councils of his son-ui-law. He took an 
interest in everything that was going forward, but 
was particularly frequent in his visits to the black- 
smith's shop ; tasking the labors of the artificer in 
iron for every kind of weapon and implement 
suited to the savage state, insomuch that the nec- 
essary business of the factory was often postponed 
to attend to his requisitions. 

The honey-moon had scarce passed away, and 
M'Dousal was seated with his bride m the fortress 
of Astoria, when, about noon of the 20th of 
August, Gassacop, the son of Comcomly, hurried 
into liis presence with great agitation, and an- 
nounced a ship at the mouth of the river. The 
news produced a vast sensation. Was it a ship 
of peace or war ? Was it American or British ? 
Was it the Beaver or the Isaac Todd ? M'Dou- 
gal hurried to the water side, threw himself into 
a boat, and ordered the hands to pull with all 
speed for the mouth of the harbor. Those in the 
fort remained watching the entrance of the river, 
anxious to know whether they were to prepare 
for greeting a friend or fighting an enemy. At 
length the ship was descried crossing the bar, and 
bending her course towards Astoria. Every gaze 
was fixed upon her in silent scrutiny, until the 
American flag was recognized. A general shout 
was the first expression of joy, and next a salu- 
tation was thundered from the cannon of the fort. 



574 ASTORIA. 

The vessel came to anchor on the opposite side 
of the river, and returned the salute. The boat 
of Mr. M'Dougal went on board, and was seen 
returning late in the afternoon. The Astorians 
watched her with straining eyes, to discover who 
were on board, but the sun went down, and the 
evening closed in, before she was sufficiently near. 
At length she reached the land, and Mr. Hunt 
stepped on shore. He was hailed as one risen 
from the dead, and his return was a signal for 
merriment almost equal to that which prevailed 
at the nuptials of M'Dougal. 

We must now explain the cause of this gentle- 
man's long absence, which had given rise to such 
gloomy and dispiriting surmises. 




CHAPTER LVII. 




IJT will be recollected, that the destination 
of the Beaver, when she sailed from 
Astoria on the 4th of August in 1812, 
was to proceed northwardly along the coast to 
Sheetka, or New Archangel, there to dispose of 
that part of her cargo intended for the supply of 
the Russian establishment at that place, and then 
to return to Astoria, where it was expected she 
would arrive in October. 

New Archangel is situated in Norfolk Sound, 
lat. 57° 2' N., long. 135° 50' W. It was the 
head -quarters of the different colonies of the 
Russian Fur Company, and the common ren- 
dezvous of the American vessels trading along the 
coast. 

The Beaver met with nothing worthy of par- 
ticular mention in her voyage, and arrived at New 
Archangel on the 19 th of August. The place at 
that time was the residence of Count BaranhofF, 
the governor of the different colonies ; a rough, 
rugged, hospitable, hard-drinking old Russian ; 
somewhat of a soldier, somewhat of a trader ; 
above all, a boon companion of the old roystering 
school, with a strong cross of the bear. 

Mr. Hunt found this hyperborean veteran en- 
sconced in a fort which crested the whole of a 



576 ASTORIA. 

high rocky promontory. It mounted one hun- 
dred guns, large and small, and was impregnable 
to Indian attack, unaided by artillery. Here the 
old governor lorded it over sixty Russians, who 
formed the corps of the trading establishment, 
besides an indefinite number of Indian hunters of 
the Kodiak tribe, who were continually coming 
and going, or lounging and loitering about the 
fort like so many hounds round a sportsman's 
hunting quarters. Though a loose liver among 
his guests, the governor was a strict disciplinarian 
among his men ; keeping them in perfect subjec- 
tion, and having seven on guard night and day. 

Beside those immediate serfs and dependents 
just mentioned, the old Russian potentate exerted 
a considerable sway over a numerous and irreg- 
ular class of maritime traders, who looked to 
him for aid and munitions, and through whom he 
may be said to have, in some degree, extended 
his power along the whole northwest coast. 
These were American captains of vessels engaged 
in a particular department of the trade. One of 
these captains would come, in a manner, empty- 
handed to New Archangel. Here his ship would 
be furnished with about fifty canoes and a hun- 
dred Kodiak hunters, and fitted out with provi- 
sions, and everything necessary for hunting the 
sea- otter on the coast of California, where the 
Russians have another establishment. The ship 
would ply along the Californian coast from place 
to place, dropping parties of otter hunters in their 
canoes, furnishing them only with water, and 
leaving them to depend upon their own dexterity 



TYRANNY OF THE TABLE. bll 

for a maintenance. When a sufficient cargo was 
collected, she would gather up her canoes and 
hunters, and return with them to Archangel ; 
where the captain would render in the returns 
of his voyage, and receive one half of the skins 
for his share. 

Over these coasting captains, as we have hinted, 
the veteran governor exerted some sort of sway, 
but it was of a peculiar and characteristic kind ; it 
was the tyranny of the table. They were obliged 
to join him in his " prosnics " or carousals, and 
to drink " potations pottle deep." His carousals, 
too, were not of the most quiet kind, nor were 
his potations as mild as nectar. " He is con- 
tinually," said Mr. Hunt, " giving entertainments 
by way of parade, and if you do not drink raw 
rum, and boiling punch as strong as sulphur, he 
will insult you as soon as he gets drunk, which is 
very shortly after sitting down to table." 

As to any " temperance captain " who stood 
fast to his faith, and refused to give up his so- 
briety, he might go elsewhere for a market, for 
he stood no chance with the governor. Rarely, 
however, did any cold-water caitiff of the kind 
darken the door of old Baranhoff; the coasting 
captains knew too well his humor and their own 
interests ; they joined in his revels, they drank, 
and sang, and whooped, and hiccuped, until they 
all got " half seas over," and then affairs went on 
swimmingly. 

An awful warning to all " flinchers " occurred 
shortly before Mr. Hunt's arrival. A young 
naval officer had recently been sent out by the 
37 



578 ASTORIA. 

emperor to take command of one of the company's 
vessels. The governor, as usual, had him at his 
" prosnics," and plied him with fiery potations. 
The young man stood on the defensive until the 
old count's ire was completely kindled; he car- 
ried his point, and made the greenhorn tipsy, 
willy nilly. In proportion as they grew fuddled 
they grew noisy, they quarrelled in their cups ; 
the youngster paid old BaranhofF in his own coin 
by rating him soundly ; in reward for which, 
when sober, he was taken the rounds of four 
pickets, and received seventy-nine lashes, taled 
out with Russian punctuality of punishment. 

Such was the old grizzled bear with whom Mr. 
Hunt had to do his business. How he managed 
to cope with his humor ; whether he pledged 
himself in raw rum and blazing punch, and 
" clinked the can " with him as they made their 
bargains, does not appear upon record ; we must 
infer, however, from his general observations on 
the absolute sway of this hard-drinking potentate, 
that lie had to conform to the customs of his 
court, and that their business transactions pre- 
sented a maudlin mixture of punch and peltry. 

The greatest annoyance to Mr. Hunt, however, 
was the delay to which he was subjected, in dis- 
posing of the cargo of the shipj and getting the 
requisite returns. With all the governor's de- 
votions to the bottle, he never obfuscated his 
faculties sufficiently to lose sight of his interest, 
and is represented by Mr. Hunt as keen, not to 
say crafty, at a bargain, as the most arrant water 
drinker. A long time was expended negotiating 



FISHY FOOD AND FUEL. 579 

with him, and by the time the bargain was con- 
cluded, the month of October had arrived. To 
add to the dehiy he was to be paid for his cargo 
in seal skins. Now it so happened that there 
was none of this kind ofpehry at the fort of old 
BaranhofF. It was necessary, therefore, for Mr. 
Hunt to proceed to a seal-catching establishment, 
which the Russian company had at the island of 
St. Paul in the sea of Kamtschatka. He accord- 
ingly set sail on the 4th of October, after having 
spent forty-five days at New Archangel boosing 
and bargaining with its roystering commander, 
and right glad was he to escape from the clutches 
of " this old man of the sea." 

The Beaver arrived at St. Paul's on the 31st 
of October; by which time, according to arrange- 
ment, he ought to have been back at Astoria. 
The Island of St. Paul's is in latitude 57° N., 
longitude 170° or 171° W. Its shores, in cer- 
tain places, and at certain seasons, are covered 
with seals, while others are playing about in the 
water. Of these, the Russians take only the 
small ones, from seven to ten months old, and 
carefully select the males, giving the females 
their freedom, that the breed may not be dimin- 
ished. The islanders, however, kill the large 
ones for provisions, and for skins wherewith to 
cover their canoes. They drive them from the 
shore over the rocks, until within a short distance 
of their habitations, where they kill them. By 
this means, they save themselves the trouble of 
carrying the skins and have the flesh at hand. 
This is thrown in heaps, and when the season for 



580 ASTORIA. 

skinning is over, they take out the entrails and 
make one heap of the blubber. This, with drift- 
wood, serves for fuel, for the island is entirely des- 
titute of trees. They make another heap of the 
flesh, which, with the eggs of sea-fowls, preserved 
in oil, an occasional sea-lion, a few ducks in win- 
ter, and some wild roots, compose their food. 

Mr. Hunt found seven Russians at the island, 
and one hundred hunters, natives of Oonalaska, 
with their families. They lived in cabins that 
looked like canoes ; being, for the most part 
formed of the jaw-bone of a whale, put up as 
rafters, across which were laid pieces of drift- 
wood covered over with long grass, the skins of 
large sea animals, and earth ; so as to be quite 
comfortable, in despite of the rigors of the cli- 
mate ; though we are told they had as ancient and 
lish-like an odor, " as had the quarters of Jonah, 
when he lodged within the whale." 

In one of these odoriferous mansions, Mr. Hunt 
occasionally took up his abode, that he might be 
at hand to hasten the loading of the ship. The 
operation, however, was somewhat slow, for it 
was necessary to overhaul and inspect every pack 
to prevent imposition, and the peltries had then 
to be conveyed in large boats, made of skins, to 
the ship, which was some little distance from the 
shore, standing off and on. 

One night, while Mr. Hunt was on shore, with 
some others of the crew, there arose a terrible 
gale. When the day broke, the ship was not to 
be seen. He watched for her with anxious eyes 
until night, but in vain. Day after day of bois- 



PERPLEXITY OF MR. HUNT. 581 

terous storms, and howling wintry weather, were 
passed in watchfulness and solicitude. Nothing 
was to be seen but a dark and angry sea, and a 
scowling northern sky ; and at night he retired 
within the jaws of the whale, and nestled dis- 
consolately among seal skins. 

At length, on the 13th of November, the Beaver 
made her appearance ; much the worse for the 
stormy conflicts she had sustained in those hyper- 
borean seas. She had been obliged to carry a 
press of sail in heavy gales to be able to hold her 
ground, and had consequently sustained great 
damage in her canvas and rigging. Mr. Himt 
lost no time in hurrying the residue of the cargo 
on board of her ; then, bidding adieu to his seal- 
fishing friends, and his whalebone habitation, he 
put forth once more to sea. 

He was now for making the best of his way 
to Astoria, and fortunate would it have been for 
the interests of that place, and the interests of 
Mr. Astor, had he done so ; but, unluckily, a 
perplexing question rose in his mind. The sails 
and rigging of the Beaver had been much rent 
and shattered in the late storm; would she be 
able to stand the hard gales to be expected in 
makuig Columbia River at this season ? Was it 
prudent, also, at this boisterous time of the year 
to risk the valuable cargo which she now had on 
board, by crossing and recrossing the dangerous 
bar of that river ? These doubts were probably 
suggested or enforced by Captain Sowle, who, it 
has already been seen, was an over-cautious, or 
rather, a timid seaman, and they may have had 



582 ASTORIA. 

some weight with Mr. Hunt; but there were 
other considerations, which more strongly swayed 
his mmd. The lateness of the season, and the 
unforeseen delays the ship had encountered at 
New Archangel, and by being obliged to proceed 
to St. Paul's, had put her so much back in her 
calculated time, that there was a risk of her ar- 
riving so late at Canton, as to come to a bad 
market, both for the sale of her peltries, and the 
purchase of a return cargo. He considered it to 
the interest of the company, therefore, that he 
should proceed at once to the Sandwich Islands ; 
there wait the arrival of the annual vessel from 
New York, take jjassage in her to Astoria, and 
suffer the Beaver to continue on to Canton. 

On the other hand, he was urged to the other 
course by his engagements ; by the ^\-<m of the 
voyage marked out for the Beaver, by Mr. Astor ; 
by his inclination, and the possibility that the 
establishment might need his presence, and by the 
recollection that there must already be a large 
amount of peltries collected at Astoria, and wait- 
ing for the return of the Beaver, to convey them 
to market. 

These conflicting questions perplexed and agi- 
tated liis mind and gave rise to much anxious 
reflection, for he was a conscientious man that 
seems ever to have aimed at a faithful discharge 
of his duties, and to have had the interests of his 
employers earnestly at heart. His decision in the 
present instance was injudicious, and proved un- 
fortunate. It was, to bear away for the Sandwich 
Islands. He persuaded himself that it was a matter 



INJUDICIOVS DECISION. 583 

of necessity, and that the distressed condition of 
the ship left him no other alternative ; but we 
rather suspect he was so persuaded by the repre- 
sentations of the timid captain. They accordingly 
stood for the Sandwich Islands, arrived at Woahoo, 
where the ship underwent the necessary repairs, 
and again put to sea on the 1st of January, 1813 ; 
leaving Mr. Hunt on the island. 

We will follow the Beaver to Canton, as her 
fortunes, in some measure, exemplify the evil of 
commanders of ships acting contrary to orders ; 
and as they form a part of the tissue of cross 
purposes that marred the great commercial enter- 
prise we have undertaken to record. 

The Beaver arrived safe at Canton, where 
Captain Sowle found the letter of Mr. Astor, 
aivino' him information of the war and directinoj 
him to convey the intelligence to Astoria. He 
wrote a reply, dictated either by timidity or obsti- 
nacy, in which he declined complying with the 
orders of Mr. Astor, but said he would wait for 
the return of peace, and then come home. The 
other proceedings of Ctxptain Sowle were equally 
wrongheaded and unlucky. He was offered one 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the fur 
he had taken qn board at St. Paul's. The goods 
for which it had been procured, cost but twenty- 
five thousand dollars in New York. Had he 
accepted this offer, and re-invested the amount in 
nankeens, which at that time, in consequence of 
the interruption to commerce by the war, were 
at two thirds of their usual price, the whole would 
have brouojht three hundred thousand dollars in 



584 ASTORIA. 

New York. It is true, the war would have ren- 
dered it unsafe to attempt the homeward voyage, 
but he might have put the goods in store at Can- 
ton, until after the peace, and have sailed without 
risk of capture to Astoria ; bringing to the part- 
ners at that place tidings of the great profits 
realized on the outward cargo, and the still greater 
to be expected from the returns. The news of 
such a brilliant commencement to their undertak- 
ing would have counterbalanced the gloomy 
tidings of the war ; it would have infused new 
spirit into them all, and given them courage and 
constancy to persevere in the enterprise. Captain 
Sowle, however, refused the offer of one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars, and stood wavering and 
chaffering for higher terms. The furs began to 
fall in value ; this only increased his irresolution ; 
they sunk so much that he feared to sell at all ; 
he borrowed money on Mr. Astor's account at an 
interest of eighteen per cent., and laid up his 
shij) to await the return of peace. 

In the meanwhile, Mr. Hunt soon saw reason 
to repent the resolution he had adopted in alter- 
ing the destination of the ship. His sta}^ at the 
Sandwich Islands was prolonged far beyond all 
expectation. He looked in vain for the annual 
ship in the spring. Month after month passed 
by, and still she did not make her appearance. 
He, too, proved the danger of departing from 
orders. Had he returned from St. Paul's to 
Astoria, all the anxiety and despondency about 
his fate, and about the whole course of the under- 
taking, would have been obviated. The Beaver 



WANDERINGS OF MR. HUNT. 585 

would have received the furs collected at the factory, 
and taken them to Canton, and great gains, 
instead of great losses, would have been the result. 
The greatest blunder, however, was that commit- 
ted by Captain Sowle. 

At length, about the 20th of June, the ship 
Albatross, Captain Smith, arrived from China, 
and brought the first tidings of the war to the 
Sandwich Islands. Mr. Hunt was no longer in 
doubt and perplexity as to the reason of the non- 
appearance of the annual ship. His first thoughts 
were for the welfare of Astoria, and, concluding 
that the inhabitants would probably be in want 
of provisions, he chartered the Albatross for two 
thousand dollars, to land him, with some supplies, 
at the mouth of the Columbia, where he arrived, 
as we have seen, on the 20th of August, after a 
year's seafaring that might have furnished a chap- 
ter in the wanderings of Sindbad. 





CHAPTER LVIII. 

R. Hunt was overwhelmed with sur- 
prise when he learnt the resolution 
taken by the partners to abandon Asto- 
ria. He soon found, however, that matters had 
gone too far, and the minds of his colleagues had 
become too firmly bent upon the measure, to ren- 
der any opposition of avail. He was beset, too, 
with the same disparaging accounts of the inte- 
rior trade, and of the whole concerns and pros- 
pects of the company that had been rendered to 
Mr. Astor. His own experience had been full 
of perplexities and discouragements. He had a 
conscientious anxiety for the interests of Mr. 
Astor, and, not comprehending the extended 
views of that gentleman, and his habit of operat- 
ing with great amounts, he had from the first 
been daunted by the enormous expenses required, 
and had become disheartened by the subsequent 
losses sustained, which appeared to him to be 
ruinous in their magnitude. By degrees, there- 
fore, he was brought to acquiesce in the step 
taken by his colleagues, as perhaps advisable in 
the exigencies of the case ; his only care was to 
wind up the business with as little further loss 
as possible to Mr. Astor. 

A laroje stock of valuable furs was collected 



FURTHER ARRANGEMENTS. 587 

at the factory, which it was necessary to get to a 
market. There were twenty-five Sandwich Isl- 
anders also in the employ of the company, whom 
they were bound, by express agreement, to re- 
store to their native country. For these pur- 
poses a ship was necessary. 

The Albatross was bound to the Marquesas, 
and thence to the Sandwich Islands. It was 
resolved that Mr. Hunt should sail in her in 
quest of a vessel, and should return, if possible, 
by the 1st of January, bringing with him a sup- 
ply of provisions. Should anything occur, how- 
ever, to prevent his return, an arrangement was 
to be proposed to Mr. M'Tavish, to transfer such 
of the men as were so disposed, from the service 
of the American Fur Company into that of the 
Northwest, the latter becoming responsible for 
the wages due them, on receiving an equivalent 
in goods from the store-house of the factory. As 
a means of facilitating the dispatch of business, 
Mr. M'Dougal proposed, that in case Mr. Hunt 
should not return, the whole arrangement with 
Mr. M'Tavish should be left solely to him. This 
was assented to ; the contingency being consid- 
ered possible, but not probable. 

It is proper to note, that, on the first announce- 
ment by Mr. M'Dougal of his intention to break 
up the establishment, three of the clerks, British 
subjects, had, with his consent, passed into the 
service of the Northwest Company, and departed 
with Mr. M'Tavish for his post in the interior. 

Having arranged all these matters during a 
sojourn of six days at Astoria, Mr. Hunt set 



588 ASTORIA. 

sail in the Albatross on the 26th of August, and 
arrived without accident at the Marquesas. He 
had not been there long, when Porter arrived in 
the frigate Essex, bringing in a number of stout 
London whalers as prizes, having made a sweep- 
ing cruise in the Pacific. From Commodore 
Porter he received the alarming intelligence that 
the British frigate Phoebe, with a storeship 
mounted with battering pieces, calculated to at- 
tack forts, had arrived at Rio Janeiro, where she 
had been joined by the sloops of war Cherub 
and Raccoon, and that they had all sailed in com- 
pany on the 6th of July for the Pacific, bound, 
as it was supposed, to Columbia River. 

Here, then, was the death-warrant of unfor- 
tunate Astoria ! The anxious mind of Mr. Hunt 
was in greater perplexity than ever. He had 
been eager to extricate the property of Mr. As- 
tor from a failing concern with as little loss as 
possible ; there was now danger that the whole 
would be swallowed up. How was it to be 
snatched from the gulf? It was impossible to 
charter a ship for the purpose, now that a Brit- 
ish squadron was on its way to the river. He ap- 
plied to purchase one of the whale ships brought 
in by Commodore Porter. Tlie commodore de- 
manded twenty-five thousand dollars for her. 
The price appeared exorbitant, and no bargain 
could be made. Mr. Hunt then urged the com- 
modore to fit out one of his prizes, and send her 
to Astoria, to bring off the property and part of 
the people, but he declined, " from want of au- 
thority." He assured Mr. Hunt, however, that 



WRECK OF TEE LARK. 589 

he would endeavor to fall in with the enemy, or, 
should he hear of their having certainly gone to 
the Columbia, he would either follow or antici- 
pate them, should his circumstances warrant such 
a step. 

In this tantalizing state of suspense, Mr. Hunt 
was detained at the Marquesas until November 
23d, when he proceeded in the Albatross to the 
Sandwich Islands. He still cherished a faint 
hope that, notwithstanding the war, and all other 
discouraging circumstances, the annual ship might 
have been sent by Mr. Astor, and might have 
touched at the islands, and proceeded to the Co- 
lumbia. He knew the pride and interest taken 
by that gentleman in his great enterprise, and 
that he would not be deterred by dangers and 
difficulties from prosecuting it ; much less would 
he leave the infant establishment without succor 
and support in the time of trouble. In this, we 
have seen, he did but justice to Mr. Astor ; and 
we must now turn to notice the cause of the 
non-arrival of the vessel which he had dispatched 
with reinforcements and supplies. Her voyage 
forms another chapter of accidents in this event- 
ful story. 

The Lark sailed from New York on the 6th 
of March, 1813, and proceeded prosperously on 
her voyage, until within a few degrees of the 
Sandwich Islands. Here a gale sprang up that 
soon blew with tremendous violence. The Lark 
was a stanch and noble ship, and for a time buf- 
feted bravely with the storm. Unluckily, how- 
ever, she " broached to," and was struck by a 



590 ASTORIA. 

heavy sea, that hove her on her beam-ends. The 
hehn, too. was knocked to leeward, all command 
of the vessel was lost, and another mountain 
wave completely overset her. Orders were given 
to cut away the masts. In the hurry and con- 
fusion, the boats also were unfortunately cut 
adrift. The wreck then righted, but was a mere 
hulk, full of water, with a heavy sea washing 
over it, and all the hatches off. On mustering 
the crew, one man was missing, who was discov- 
ered below in the forecastle, drowned. 

In cutting away the masts, it had been utterly 
impossible to observe the necessary precaution of 
commencing with the lee rigging, that being, from 
the position of the ship, completely under water. 
The masts and spars, therefore, being linked to 
the wreck by the shrouds and the rigging, re- 
mained alongside for four days. During all this 
time the ship lay rolling in the trough of the sea, 
the heavy surges breaking over her, and the spars 
heaving and banging to and fro, bruising the half- 
drowned sailors that clung to the bowsprit and the 
stumps of the mast. The sufferings of these poor 
fellows were intolerable. They stood to their 
waists in water, in imminent peril of being 
washed off by every surge. In this position they 
dared not sleep, lest they should let go their hold 
and be swept away. The only dry place on the 
wreck was the bowsprit. Here they took turns 
to be tied on, for half an hour at a time, and in 
this way gained short snatches of sleep. 

On the 14th, the first mate died at his post, 
and was swept off by the surges. On the 17th, 



SUFFERINGS OF THE CREW. 591 

two seamen, faint and exhausted, were washed 
overboard. The next wave threw their bodies 
back upon the deck, where they remained, swash- 
ing backward and forward, ghastly objects to the 
almost perishing survivors. Mr. Ogden, the 
supercargo, who was at the bowsprit, called to 
the men nearest to the bodies, to fasten them to 
the wreck ; as a last horrible resource in case of 
being driven to extremity by famine ! 

On the 17th the gale gradually subsided, and 
the sea became calm. The sailors now crawled 
feebly about the wreck, and began to relieve it 
from the main incumbrances. The spars were 
cleared away, the anchors and guns heaved over- 
board ; the sprit-sail yard was rigged for a jury- 
mast, and a mizzen topsail set upon it. A sort 
of stage was made of a few broken spars, on 
which the crew were raised above the surface of 
the water, so as to be enabled to keep them- 
selves dry, and to sleep comfortably. Still their 
sufferings from hunger and thirst were great ; 
but there was a Sandwich Islander on board, 
an expect swimmer, who found his way into 
the cabin, and occasionally brought up a few bot- 
tles of wine and porter, and at length got into the 
run, and secured a quarter cask of wine. A 
little raw pork was likewise procured, and dealt 
out with a sparing hand. The horrors of their 
situation were increased by the sight of numerous 
sharks prowling about the wreck, as if waiting for 
their prey. On the 24th, the cook, a black man, 
died, and was cast into the sea, when he was in- 
stantly seized on by these ravenous monsters. 



592 ASTORIA. 

They had been several days making slow- 
headway under their scanty sail, when, on the 
25th, they came in sight of land. It was about 
fifteen leagues distant, and they remained two or 
three days drifting along in sight of it. On the 
28th, they descried, to their great transport, a 
canoe approaching, managed by natives. They 
came alongside, and brought a most welcome 
supply of potatoes. They informed them that 
the land they had made was one of the Sandwich 
Islands. The second mate and one of the sea- 
men went on shore in the canoe for water and 
provisions, and to procure aid from the islanders, 
in towing the wreck into a harbor. 

Neither of the men returned, nor was any 
assistance sent from shore. The next day, ten 
or twelve canoes came alongside, but roamed 
round the vvreck like so many sharks, and would 
render no aid in towing her to land. 

The sea continued to break over the vessel 
with such violence, that it was impossible to 
stand at the helm without the assistance of lash- 
ings. The crew were now so worn d^)vvu by 
famine and thirst, that the captain saw it would 
be impossible for them to withstand the breaking 
of the sea, when the ship should ground ; he 
deemed the only chance for their lives, therefore, 
was to get to land in the canoes, and stand ready 
to receive and protect the wreck when she 
should drift to shore. Accordingly, they all got 
safe to land, but had scarcely touched the beach 
when they were surrounded by the natives, who 
stripped them almost naked. The name of this 
inhospitable island was Tahoorowa. 



BARGAIN WITH TAMAARMAAH. 593 

In the course of the night, the wreck came 
drifting to the strand, with the surf thundering 
around her, and shortly afterwards bilged. On 
the following morning, numerous casks of pro- 
visions floated on shore. The natives staved 
them for the sake of the iron hoops, but would 
not allow the crew to help themselves to the 
contents, or to go on board of the wreck. 

As the crew were in want of everything, 
and as it might be a long time before any oppor- 
tunity occurred for them to get away from these 
islands, Mr. Ogden, as soon as he could get a 
chance, made his way to the island of Owyhee, 
and endeavored to make some arrangement with 
the king for the relief of his companions in mis- 
fortune. 

The illustrious Tamaahmaah, as we have shown 
on a former occasion, was a shrewd bargainer, 
and in the present instance proved himseif an 
experienced wrecker. His negotiations with M'- 
Dougal, and the other " Eris of the great Ameri- 
can Fur Company," had but little effect on pres- 
ent circumstances, and he proceeded to avail 
himself of their misfortunes. He agreed to fur- 
nish the crew with provisions during their stay 
in his territories, and to return to them all their 
clothing that could be found, but he stipulated 
that the wreck should be abandoned to him as a 
waif cast by fortune on his shores. With these 
conditions Mr. Ogden was fain to comply. Upon 
this the great Tamaahmaah deputed his favorite, 
John Young, the tarpaulin governor of Owyhee, 
to proceed with a number of the royal guards, 
38 



594 ASTORIA. 

and take possession of the wreck on behalf of 
the crown. This was done accordingly, and the 
property and crew were removed to Owyhee. 
The royal bounty appears to have been but 
scanty in its dispensations. The crew fared but 
meagrely ; though, on reading the journal of the 
voyage, it is singular to find them, after all the 
hardships they had suflFered, so sensitive about 
petty inconveniences, as to exclaim against the 
king as a " savage monster," for refusing them a 
" pot to cook in," and denying Mr. Ogden the 
use of a knife and fork which had been saved 
from the wreck. 

Such was the unfortunate catastrophe of the 
Lark ; had she reached her destination in safety, 
affairs at Astoria might have taken a different 
course. A strange fatality seems to have attend- 
ed all the expeditions by sea, nor were those by 
land much less disastrous. 

Captain Northrop was still at the Sandwich 
Islands, on December 20th, when Mr. Hunt ar- 
rived. The latter immediately purchased, for 
ten thousand dollars, a brig called the Pedler, 
and put Captain Northrop in command of her. 
They set sail for Astoria on the 22d January, 
intending to remove the property from thence as 
speedily as possible to the Russian settlements 
on the northwest coast, to prevent it from falling 
into the hands of the British. Such were the 
orders of Mr. As tor, sent out by the Lark. 

We will now leave Mr. Hunt on his voyage, 
and return to see what has taken place at Asto- 
ria during: his absence. 



CHAPTER LIX. 




N the 2d of October, about five weeks 
after Mr. Hunt had sailed in the Alba- 

tross from Astoria, Mr. M'Kenzie set 

oft' with two canoes, and twelve men, for the 
posts of Messrs. Stuart and Clarke, to apprise 
them of the new arrangements determined upon 
in the recent conference of the partners at the 
factory. 

He had not ascended the river a hundred miles, 
when he met a squadron of ten canoes, sweep- 
ing merril}^ down under British colors, the Cana- 
dian oarsmen, as usual, in full song. 

It was an armament fitted out by M'Tavish, 
who, had with him Mr. J. Stuart, another partner 
of the Northwest Company, together with some 
clerks, and sixty-eight men — seventy-five souls 
in all. They had heard of the frigate Phoebe 
and the Isaac Todd being on the high seas, and 
were on their way down to await their arrival. 
In one of the canoes Mr. Clarke came passenger, 
the alarming intelligence having brought him down 
from his post on the Spokan. Mr. M'Kenzie im- 
mediately determined to return with him to As- 
toria, and, veering about, the two parties encamiDcd 
together for the night. The leaders, of course, 
observed a due decorum, but some of the subal- 



596 ASTORIA. 

terns could not restrain their chuckling exultation, 
boasting that they would soon plant the British 
standard on the walls of Astoria, and di'ive the 
Americans out of the country. 

In the course of the evening, Mr. M'Kenzie 
had a secret conference with Mr. Clarke, in which 
they agreed to set off privately, before daylight, 
and get down in time to apprise M'Dougal of the 
approach of these Northwesters. The latter, 
however, were completely on the alert; just as 
M'Kenzie's canoes were about to push off, they 
were joined by a couple from the Northwest 
squadron, in which was M'Tavish, with two clerks, 
and eleven men. With these, he intended to push 
forward and make arrangements, leaving the rest 
of the convoy, in which was a large quantity of 
furs, to await his orders. 

The two parties arrived at Astoria on the 7th 
of October. The Northwesters encamped under 
the guns of the fort, and displayed the British 
colors. The young men in the fort, natives of 
the United States, were on the point of hoisting 
the American flag, but were forbidden by IMr. 
M'Dougal. They were astonished at such a pro- 
hibition, and were exceedingly galled by the tone 
and manner assumed by the clerks and retainers 
of the Northwest Company, who ruffled about 
in that swelling and braggart style which grows 
up among these heroes of the wilderness ; they, 
in fact, considered themselves lords of the ascend- 
ant, and regarded the hampered and harassed 
Astorians as a conquered people. 

On the following day INI'Dougal convened the 



COURSE OF MR. .WDOUGAL. 597 

clerks, and read to them an extract of a letter 
from his uncle, Mr. Angus Shaw, one of the 
jDrincipal j^artners of the Northwest Company, 
announcing the coming of the Phoebe and Isaac 
Todd, " to take and destroy everything Ameri- 
can on the northwest coast." 

This intelligence was received without dismay 
by such of the clerks as were natives of the 
United States. They had felt indignant at seeing 
their national flag struck by a Canadian comman- 
der, and the British flag flowed, as it were, in 
their faces. They had been stung to the quick, 
also, by the vaunting airs assumed by the North- 
westers. In this mood of mind, they would 
willingly have nailed their colors to the staff, and 
defied the frigate. She could not come within 
many miles of the fort, they observed, and any 
boats she might send could be destroyed by their 
cannon. 

There were cooler and more calculating spirits, 
however, who had the control of affairs, and felt 
nothing of the patriotic pride and ilidignation of 
these youths. The extract of the letter had, 
apparently, been read by M'Dougal, merely to 
prepare the way for a preconcerted stroke of 
management. On the same day Mr. M'Ta^dsh 
proposed to purchase the whole stock of goods 
and furs belonging to the company, both at Astoria 
and in the interior, at cost and charges. Mr. 
M'Dougal undertook to comj)ly ; assuming the 
whole management of the negotiation in virtue 
of the power vested in him, in case of the non- 
arrival of INIi'. Hunt. That power, however, was 



598 ASTORIA. 

limited and specific, and did not extend to an 
operation of this nature and extent ; no objection, 
however, was made to his assumption, and he 
and M'Tavish soon made a preliminary arrange- 
ment, perfectly satisfactory to the latter. 

Mr. Stuart, and the reserve party of North- 
westers, arrived shortly afterwards, and encamped 
with M'Tavish. The former exclaimed loudly 
against the terms of the arrangement, and insisted 
upon a reduction of the prices. New negotiations 
had now to be entered into. The demands of 
the Northwesters were made in a peremptory 
tone, and they seemed disposed to dictate like 
conquerors. The Americans looked on with 
indignation and impatience. They considered 
M'Dougal as acting, if not a perfidious, certainly 
a craven part. He was continually repairing to 
the camp to negotiate, instead of keeping within 
his walls and receiving overtures in his fortress. 
His case, they observed, was not so desperate as 
to excuse such crouchino^. He mis^ht, in fact hold 
out for his own terms. The Northwest party had 
lost their ammunition ; they had no goods to 
trade with the natives for provisions ; and they 
were so destitute that M'Dougal had absolutely to 
feed them, while he negotiated with them. He, 
on the contrary, was well lodged and victualled ; 
had sixty men, with arms, ammunition, boats, and 
everything requisite either for defense or retreat. 
The party, beneath the guns of his fort, were at 
his mercy ; should an enemy appear in the offing, 
he could pack up the most valuable part of the 
property and retire to some place of concealment, 
or make off for the interior. 



BARGAIN WITH THE NORTHWESTERS. 599 

These considerations, however, had no weight 
with Mr. M'Dougal, or were overruled by other 
motives. The terms of sale were lowered by 
him to the standard fixed by Mr. Stuart, and an 
agreement executed on the 16th of October, by 
which the furs and merchandise of all kinds in 
the country, belonging to Mr. Astor,- passed into 
the possession of the Northwest Company at 
about a third of their real value. ^ A safe passage 
through the Northwest posts was guaranteed to 
such as did not choose to enter into the service 
of that Company, and the amount of wages due 
to them was to be deducted from the price paid 
for Astoria. 

1 Not quite $40,000 were allowed for furs worth upwards of 
$100,000. Beaver was valued at two dollars per skin, though 
worth five dollars. Land otter at fifty cents, though worth 
five dollars. Sea-otter at twelve dollars, worth from forty -five 
to sixty dollars ; and for several kinds of furs nothing was 
allowed. Moreover, the goods and merchandise for the 
Indian trade ought to have brought three times the amount 
for which they were sold. 

The following estimate has been made of the articles on 
hand, and the prices : — 

17,705 lbs. beaver parchment, valued at $2.00 worth $5.00 
465 old coat beaver, . . " » 1.66 " 3.50 

907 land otter, . . " " -50 " 5.00 

68 sea-otter, ... " " 12.00 "45 to 60.00 

30 " " ... " " 5.00 " 25.00 

Nothing was allowed for 

179 mink skins, worth each 40 

22 raccoon, at; .40 

28 1vnx, u u 2.00 

18 fox, " " 1-00 

106 " a » 1.50 

71 black bear, » '' 4.06 

16 grizzly bear, " « 10.00 



600 ASTORIA. 

The conduct and motives of Mr. M'Dougal, 
throughout the whole of this proceeding, have 
been strongly questioned by the other partners. 
He has been accused of availing himself of a 
wrong construction of powers vested in him at 
his own request, and of sacrificing the interests 
of Mr. Astor to the Northwest Company, under 
the promise or hope of advantage to himself. 

He always insisted, however, that he made the 
best bargain for Mr. Astor that circumstances 
would permit ; the frigate being hourly expected, 
in which case the whole property of that gentle- 
man would be liable to capture. That the return 
of Mr. Hunt was problematical ; the frigate in- 
tending to cruise along the coast for two years, 
and clear it of all American vessels. He more- 
over averred, and M'Tavish corroborated liis 
averment by certificate, that he proposed an ar- 
rangement to that gentleman, by which the furs 
were to be sent to Canton, and sold there at Mr. 
Astor's risk, and for his account ; but the propo- 
sition was not acceded to. 

Notwithstanding all his representations, several 
of the persons present at the transaction, and ac- 
quainted with the whole course of the affair, and 
among the number Mr. M'Kenzie himself, his oc- 
casional coadjutor, remained firm in the belief 
that he had acted a hollow part. Neither did he 
succeed in exculpating himself to Mr. Astor ; that 
gentleman declaring, in a letter written some time 
afterwards, to Mr. Hunt, that he considered the 
property virtually given away. " Had our j^lace 
and our property," he adds, " been fairly cap- 



OPINION OF MR. AST OR. 



601 



tured, I should have preferred it ; I should not 
feel as if I were disgraced." 

All these may be unmerited suspicions ; but it 
certainly is a circumstance strongly corroborative 
of them, that Mr. M'Dougal, shortly after con- 
cluding this agreement, became a member of the 
Northwest Company, and received a share pro- 
ductive of a handsome income. 




CHAPTER LX. 




N the morning of the 30th of Novem- 
ber, a sail was descried doubling Cape 
Disappointment. It came to anchor in 
Baker's Bay, and proved to be a ship of war. 
Of what nation ? was now the anxious inquiry. 
If English, why did it come alone ? where was 
the merchant vessel that was to have accompanied 
it? If American, what was to become of the 
newly acquired possession of the Northwest 
Company ? 

In this dilemma, M'Tavish, in all haste, loaded 
two barges with all the packages of furs bearing 
the mark of the Northwest Company, and made 
off for Tongue Point, three miles up the river. 
There he was to await a preconcerted signal from 
M'Dougal, on ascertaining the character of the 
ship. If it should prove American, M'Tavish 
would have a fair start, and could bear off his 
rich cargo to the interior. It is singular that this 
prompt mode of conveying valuable, but easily 
transportable effects beyond the reach of a hostile 
ship should not have suggested itself wliile the 
property belonged to Mr. Astor. 

In the meantime, M'Dougal, who still remained 
nominal chief at the fort, launched a canoe, 
manned by men recently in the employ of the 



THE RACOON SLOOP OF WAR. 603 

American Fur Company, and steered for the ship. 
On the way, he instructed his men to pass them- 
selves for Americans or Englishmen, according to 
the exigencies of the case. 

The vessel proved to be the British sloop of 
war Racoon, of twenty-six guns, and one hundred 
and twenty men, commanded by Captain Black. 
According to the account of that officer, the 
frigate Phoebe, and the two sloops of war Cherub 
and Racoon, had sailed in convoy of the Isaac 
Todd from Rio Janeiro. On board of the Phoebe, 
Mr. John M' Donald, a partner of the Northwest 
Company, embarked as passenger, to profit by 
the anticipated catastrophe at Astoria. The con- 
voy was separated by stress of weather off Cape 
Horn. The three ships of war came together 
again at the island of Juan Fernandez, their ap- 
pointed rendezvous, but waited in vain for the 
Isaac Todd. 

In the meantime, intelligence was received of 
the mischief that Commodore Porter was doing 
among the British whale ships. Commodore 
Hillyer immediately set sail in quest of him, with 
the Phoebe and the Cherub, transferring Mr. 
M'Donald to the Racoon, and ordering that vessel 
to proceed to the Columbia. 

The officers of the Racoon were in high spirits. 
The agents of the Northwest Company, in insti- 
gating the expedition, had talked of immense 
booty to be made by the fortunate captors of 
Astoria. Mr. M'Donald had kept up the excite- 
ment during the voyage, so that not a midship- 
man but revelled in dreams of ample prize- 



604 ASTORIA. 

money, nor a lieutenant that would have sold his 
chance for a thousand pounds. Their disappoint- 
ment, therefore, may easily be conceived, when 
they learned that their warlike attack upon As- 
toria had been forestalled by a snug commercial 
arrangement ; that their anticipated booty had 
become British property in the regular course of 
traffic, and that all this had been effected by the 
very Company which had been instrumental in 
getting them sent on what they now stigmatized 
as a fool's errand. They felt as if they had been 
duped and made tools of, by a set of shrewd men 
of traffic, who had employed them to crack the 
nut, wliile they carried off the ' kernel. In a 
word, M'Dougal found himself so ungraciously 
received by his countrymen on board of the ship, 
that he was glad to cut short his visit, and return 
to shore. He was busy at the fort, making prep- 
arations for the reception of the captain of the 
Racoon, when his one-eyed Indian father-in-law 
made his appearance, with a train of Chinook 
warriors, all painted and equipped in warlike 
style. 

Old Comcomly had beheld, with dismay, the 
arrival of a " big war canoe " displaying the 
British flas:. The shrewd old savage had become 
something of a politician in the course of his 
daily visits at the fort. He knew of the war ex- 
isting between the nations, but knew nothing of 
the arrano-ement between M'Douo^al and M'Tav- 
ish. He trembled, therefore, for the power of 
his white son-in-law, and the new-fledged grandeur 
of his daughter, and assembled his warriors in all 



WAR SPIRIT OF COMCOMLY. 605 

haste. " King George," said he, " has sent his 
great canoe to destroy the fort, and make slaves 
of all the inhabitants. Shall we suffer it ? The 
Americans are the first white men that have fixed 
themselves in the land. They have treated ns 
like brothers. Their great chief has taken my 
daughter to be his squaw : we are, therefore, as 
one people." 

His warriors all determined to stand by the 
Americans to the last, and to this effect they came 
pauited and armed for battle. Comcomly made a 
spirited war-speech to his son-in-law. He offered 
to kill every one of King George's men that 
should attempt to land. It was an easy matter. 
The ship could not approach within six miles of 
the fort ; the crew could only land in boats. The 
woods reached to the water's edge ; in these, he 
and his warriors would conceal themselves, and 
shoot down the enemy as fast as they put foot on 
shore. 

M'Dougal was, doubtless, properly sensible of 
this parental devotion on the part of his savage 
father-in-law, and perhaps a little rebuked by the 
game spirit, so opposite to his own. He assured 
Comcomly, however, that his solicitude for the 
safety of himself and the princess was super- 
fluous ; as, though the ship belonged to King 
George, her crew would not injure the Ameri- 
cans, or their Indian allies. He advised him and 
his warriors, therefore, to lay aside their weapons 
and war shirts, wash off the paint from their 
faces and bodies, and appear like clean and civil 
savages, to receive the strangers courteously. 



606 ASTORIA. 

Comcomly was sorely puzzled at this advice, 
which accorded so little with his Indian notions 
of receiving a hostile nation, and it was only after 
repeated and positive assurances of the amicable 
intentions of the strangers that he was induced to 
lower his fighting tone. He said something to 
his warriors explanatory of this singular posture 
of affiiirs, and in vindication, perhaps, of the 
pacific temper of his son-in-law. They all gave 
a shrug and an Indian grunt of acquiescence, and 
went off sulkily to their village, to lay aside their 
weapons for the present. 

The proper arrangements being made for the 
reception of Captain Black, that officer caused 
his ship's boats to be manned, and landed with 
befitting state at Astoria. From the talk that 
had been made by the Northwest Company of 
the strength of the place, and the armament they 
had required to assist in its reduction, he expected 
to find a fortress of some importance. When he 
beheld nothing but stockades and bastions, cal- 
culated for defense against naked savages, he felt 
an emotion of indignant surprise, mingled with 
something of the ludicrous. " Is this the fort," cried 
he, " about which I have heard so much talking ? 
D — n me, but I'd batter it down in two hours 
with a four pounder ! " 

When he learned, however, the amount of rich 
furs that had been passed into the hands of the 
Northwesters, he was outrageous, and insisted 
that an inventory should be taken of all the prop- 
erty purchased of the Americans, " with a view 
to ulterior measures in England, for the recovery 
of the value from the Northwest Company." 



ASTORIA CHANGES MASTERS. 607 

As he grew cool, however, he gave over all 
idea of preferring such a claim, and reconciled 
himself, as well as he could, to the idea of having 
been forestalled by his bargaining coadjutors. 

On the 12 th of December, the fate of Astoria 
was consummated by a regular ceremonial. Cap- 
tain Black, attended by his officers, entered the 
fort, caused the British standard to be erected, 
broke a bottle of wine, and declared, in a loud 
voice, that he took possession of the establishment 
and of the country, in the name of his Britannic 
Majesty, changing the name of Astoria to that 
of Fort George. 

The Indian warriors, who had offered their 
services to repel the strangers, were present on 
this occasion. It was explained to them as being 
a friendly arrangement and transfer, but they 
shook their heads grimly, and considered it an act 
of subjugation of their ancient allies. They re- 
gretted that they had complied with M'Dougal's 
wishes, in laying aside their arms, and remarked, 
that, however the Americans might conceal the 
fact, they were undoubtedly aU slaves ; nor could 
they be persuaded of the contrary, until they be- 
held the Racoon depart without taking away any 
prisoners. 

As to Comcomly, he no longer prided himself 
upon his white son-in-law, but, whenever he was 
asked about him, shook his head, and replied, that 
his daughter had made a mistake, and, instead of 
getting a great warrior for a husband, had married 
herself to a squaw. 



CHAPTER LXI. 




^VING given the catastrophe at the 
Fort of Astoria, it remains now but to 
gather up a few loose ends of this widely 
excursive narrative and conclude. On the 28th 
of February the brig Pedler anchored in Colum- 
bia River. It will be recollected that Mr. Hunt 
had purchased this vessel at the Sandwich Islands, 
to take off the furs collected at the factory, and 
to restore the Sandwich Islanders to their homes. 
Wlien that gentleman learned, however, the pre- 
cipitate and summary manner in which the prop- 
erty had been bargained away by M'Dougal, he 
expressed his indignation in the strongest terms, 
and determined to make an effort to get back the 
furs. As soon as his wishes were known in this 
respect, M'Dougal came to sound him on behalf 
of the Northwest Company, intimating that he 
had no doubt the peltries might be repurchased 
at an advance of fifty per cent. This overture 
was not calculated to soothe the angry feelings of 
Mr. Hunt, and his indignation was complete, when 
he discovered that M'Dougal had become a partner 
of the Northwest Company, and had actually been 
so since the 23d of December. He had kept his 
partnership a secret, however ; had retained the 
papers of the Pacific Fur Company in his pos- 



ADIEU TO ASTORIA. 609 

session ; and had continued to act as Mr. A tor's 
agent, though two of the partners of the other 
company, Mr. M'Kenzie and Mr. Clarke, were 
present: He had, moreover, divulged to his new 
associates all that he knew as to Mr. Astor's plans 
and affairs, and had made copies of his business 
letters for their perusal. 

Mr. Hunt now considered the whole conduct 
of M'Dougal hollow and collusive. His only 
thought was, therefore, to get all the papers of the 
concern out of his hands, and bring the business 
to a close ; for the interests of Mr. Astor were 
yet completely at stake ; the drafts of the North- 
west Company in his ftivor, for the purchase money, 
not having yet been obtained. With some difficulty 
he succeeded in getting possession of the papers. 
The bills or drafts were delivered without hes- 
itation. The latter he remitted to Mr. Astor by 
some of his associates, who were about to cross 
the continent to New York. This done, he em- 
barked on board the Pedler, on the 3d of April, 
accompanied by two of the clerks, Mr. Seton and 
Mr. Halsey, and bade a final adieu to Astoria. 

The next day, April 4th, Messrs. Clarke, 
M'Kenzie, David Stuart, and such of the Asto- 
rians as had not entered into the service of the 
Northwest Company, set out to cross the Rocky 
Mountains. It is not our intention to take the 
reader another journey across those rugged 
barriers ; but we will step forward with the trav- 
ellers to a distance on their way, merely to re- 
late their interview with a character already noted 
in this work. 



610 ASTORIA. 

As the party were proceeding up the Columbia, 
near the mouth of the Wallah-TVallah River, 
several Indian canoes put off from the shore to 
overtake them, and a voice called upon them in 
French and requested them to stop. They ac- 
cordingly put to shore, and were joined by those 
in the canoes. To their surprise, they recognized 
in the person who had hailed them the Indian 
wife of Pierre Dorion, accompanied by her two 
children. She had a story to tell, involving the 
fate of several of our unfortunate adventurers. 

Mr. John Reed, the Hibernian, it will be re- 
membered, had been detached during the summer 
to the Snake River. His party consisted of four 
Canadians, Giles Le Clerc, Frangois Landry, Jean 
Baptiste Turcot, and Andre La Chapelle, together 
with two hunters, Pierre Dorion and Pierre De- 
launay ; Dorion, as usual, being accompanied by 
his wife and children. The objects of this ex- 
pedition were twofold ; to trap beaver, and to 
search for the three hunters, Robinson, Hoback, 
and Rezner. 

In the course of the autumn. Reed lost one 
man, Landry, by death ; another one, Pierre De- 
launay, who was of a sullen, perverse disposition, 
left him in a moody fit, and was never heard of 
afterwards. The number of his party was not, 
however, reduced by these losses, as the three 
hunters, Robinson, Hoback, and Rezner, had 
joined it. 

Reed now built a house on the Snake River, 
for their winter quarters ; which being comjileted, 
the party set about trapping. Rezner, Le Clerc, 



A SQUAWS HEROIC CONDUCT. 611 

and Pierre Dorion, went about five days' journey 
from the wintering house, to a part of the country 
well stocked with beaver. Here they put up a 
hut, and proceeded to trap with great success. 
While the men were out hunting, Pierre Dorion's 
wife remained at home to dress the skins and pre- 
pare the meals. She was thus employed one 
evening about the beginning of January, cooking 
the supper of the hunters, when she heard foot- 
steps, and Le Clerc staggered, pale and bleeding, 
into the hut. He informed her that a party of 
savages had surprised them, while at their traps, 
and had killed Rezner and her husband. He had 
barely strength left to give this information, when 
he sank upon the ground. 

The poor woman saw that the only chance for 
life was instant flight, but, in this exigency, 
showed that presence of mind and force of char- 
acter for which she had frequently been noted. 
With great difficulty, she caught two of the horses 
belonging to the party. Then collecting her 
clothes and a small quantity of beaver meat and 
dried salmon, she packed them upon one of the 
horses, and helped the wounded man to mount 
upon it. On the other horse she mounted with 
her two children, and hurried away from this dan- 
gerous neighborhood, directing her flight to Mr. 
Reed's establishment. On the third day, she de- 
scried a number of Indians on horseback proceed- 
ing in an easterly direction. She immediately 
dismounted with her children, and helped Le 
Clerc likewise to dismount, and all concealed 
themselves. Fortunately they escaped the sharp 



612 ASTORIA. 

eyes of the savages, but had to proceed with the 
utmost caution. That night they slept without 
fire or water ; she managed to keep her children 
warm in her arms ; but before morning, j)Oor Le 
Clerc died. 

With the dawn of day the resolute woman re- 
sumed her course, and, on the fourth day, reached 
the house of Mr. Reed. It was deserted, and all 
round were marks of blood and signs of a furious 
massacre. Not doubting that Mr. Reed and his 
party had all fallen victims, she turned in fresh 
horror from the spot. For two days she con- 
tinued hurrying forward, ready to sink for want 
of food, but more solicitous about her children 
than herself. At length she reached a rano-e of 
the Rocky Mountains, near the upper part of the 
Wallah- Wallah River. Here she chose a wild 
lonely ravine, as her place of winter refuge. 

She had fortunately a buffalo robe and three 
deer-skins ; of these, and of j^ine bark and cedar 
branches, she constructed a rude wigwam, which 
she pitched beside a mountain spring. Having no 
other food, she killed the two horses, and smoked 
their flesh. The skins aided to cover her hut. 
Here she dragged out the winter, with no other 
company than her two children. Towards the 
middle of March, her provisions were nearly ex- 
hausted. She therefore packed up the remainder, 
slung it on her back, and, with her helpless little 
ones, set out again on her wanderings. Crossing 
the ridge of mountains, she descended to the 
banks of tlie Wallah- Wallah, and kept along them 
until she arrived where that river throws itself 



PROVOCATION CAUSES REVENOt 613 

into the ColiTinbia. She was hospitably received 
and entertained b}^ the Wallah- Wallahs, and had 
been nearly two weeks among them when the two 
canoes passed. 

On being interrogated, she could assign no 
reason for this murderous attack of the savages ; 
it appeared to be perfectly wanton and unpro- 
voked. Some of the Astorians supposed it an 
act of butchery by a roving band of Blackfeet ; 
others, however, and with greater probal)ility of 
correctness, have ascribed it to the tribe of Pierced- 
nose Indians, in revenge for the death of their 
comrade hanged by order of Mr. Chxrke. If so, 
it shows that these sudden and apparently wanton 
outbreaking^ of sanguinary Adolence on the part 
of the savages, have often some previous, though 
perhaps remote, provocation. 

The narrative of the Indian woman closes the 
checkered adventures of some of the personages 
of this motley story ; such as the honest Hiber- 
nian Reed, and Dorion the hybrid interpreter. 
Turcot and La Chapelle were two of the men 
who fell off from Mr. Crooks in the course of his 
wintry journey, and had subsequently such disas- 
trous times among the Indians. We cannot but 
feel some sympathy with that persevering trio of 
Kentuckians, Robinson, Rezner, and Hoback ; 
who twice turned back when on their way home- 
ward, and lingered in the wilderness to perish by 
the hands of savages. 

The return parties from Astoria, both by sea 
and land, experienced on the way as many adven- 
tures, vicissitudes, and mishaps, as the far-famed 



614 • ASTORIA. 

heroes of the Odyssey ; they reached then' des- 
tination at different times, bearing tidings to Mr. 
Astor of the unfortunate termination of his enter- 
prise. 

That gentleman, however, was not disposed, 
even yet, to give the matter up as lost. On the 
contrary, his spirit was roused by what he con- 
sidered ungenerous and unmerited conduct on the 
part of the Northwest Company. " After their 
treatment of me," said he, in a letter to Mr. 
Hunt, '' I have no idea of remaining quiet and 
idle." He determined, therefore, as soon as cir- 
cumstances would permit, to resume his enter- 
prise. 

At the return of peace, Astoria, with the ad- 
jacent country, reverted to the United States by 
the treaty of Ghent, on the principle of status 
ante helium, and Captain Biddle was despatched 
in the sloop of war Ontario, to take formal pos- 
session. 

In the winter of 1815, a law was passed by 
Congress prohibiting .all traffic of British traders 
within the territories of the United States. 

The favorable moment seemed now to Mr. 
Astor to have arrived for the revival of his favor- 
ite enterprise, but new difficulties had grown up 
to impede it. The Northwest Company were 
now in complete occupation of the Columbia 
River, and its chief tributary streams, holding the 
posts which he had established, and carrying on a 
trade throughout the neighboring region, in defi- 
ance of the prohibitory law of Congress, which, 
in effect, was a dead letter beyond the moun- 
tains. 



COMPLICATIONS AND DIFFICULTIES. 615 

To dispossess them, would be an undertaking 
of almost a belligerent nature ; for their agents 
and retainers were well armed, and skilled in the 
use of weapons, as is usual with Indian traders. 
The ferocious and bloody contests which had 
taken place between the rival trading parties of 
the Northwest and Hudson's Bay Companies, had 
shown what might be expected from commercial 
feuds in the lawless depths of the wilderness. 
Mr. Astor did not think it advisable, therefore, to 
attempt the matter without the protection of the 
American flag ; under which his people might 
rally in case of need. He accordingly made^ an 
informal overture to the President of the United 
States, Mr. Madison, through Mr. Gallatin, offer- 
ing to renew his enterprise, and to reestablish As- 
toria, provided it would be protected by the Amer- 
ican flag, and made a military post ; stating that 
the whole force required would not exceed a lieu- 
tenant's command. 

The application, approved and recommended 
by Mr. Gallatm, one of the most enlightened 
statesmen of our country, was favorably received, 
but no step was taken m consequence ; the Pres- 
ident not being disposed, m all probabiUty, to 
commit himself by any direct countenance or overt 
act. Discouraged by this supineness on the part 
of the government, Mr. Astor did not thmk fit to 
renew his overtures in a more formal manner, and 
the favorable moment for the re-occupation of 
Astoria was suffered to pass unimproved. 

The British trading estabUshments were thus 
enabled, without molestation, to strike deep their 



616 ASTORIA. 

roots, and extend their ramifications, in despite 
of the prohibition of Congress, until thej had 
spread themselves over the rich field of enterprise 
opened by Mr. Astor. The British government 
soon began to perceive the importance of this re- 
gion, and to desire to include it within their ter- 
ritorial domains. A question has consequently 
risen as to the right to the soil, and has become 
one of the most perplexing now open between 
the United States and Great Britian. In the first 
treaty relative to it, under date of October 20 th, 
1818, the question was left unsettled, and it was 
agreed that the country on the northwest coast of 
America, westward of the Rocky Mountains, 
claimed by either nation, should be open to the 
inhabitants of both for ten years, for the purposes 
of trade, with the equal right of navigating all its 
rivers. When these ten years had expired, a 
subsequent treaty, in 1828, extended the arrange- 
ment to ten additional years. So the matter stands 
at present. 

On casting back our eyes over the series of 
events we have recorded, we see no reason to at- 
tribute the failure of this great commercial under- 
taking to any fault in the scheme, or omission in 
the execution of it, on the part of the projector. 
It was a magnificent enterprise ; well concerted 
and carried on, without regard to difficulties or 
expense. A succession of adverse circumstances 
and cross purposes, however, beset it almost from 
the outset ; some of them, in fact, arising from 
neglect of the orders and instructions of Mr. 
Astor. The first crippling blow was the loss of 



CAUSES OF NON-SUCCESS. 617 

the Tonquiii, which clearly would not have 
happened, had Mr. Aster's earnest injunctions 
with regard to the natives been attended to. Had 
this ship performed her voyage prosperously, and 
revisited Astoria in due time, the trade of the 
establishment would have taken its preconcerted 
course, and the spirits of all concerned been kept 
up by a confident j^rospect of success. Her dis- 
mal catastrophe struck a chill into every heart, 
and prepared the way for subsequent despondency. 

Another cause of embarrassment and loss was 
the departure from the j)lan of Mr. Astor, as to 
the voyage of the Beaver, subsequent to her 
visiting Astoria. The variation from this plan 
produced a series of cross purposes, disastrous to 
the establishment, and detained Mr. Hunt absent 
from his post, when his presence there was of 
vital importance to the enterprise ; so essential is 
it for an agent, in any great and complicated 
imder taking, to execute faithfully, and to the letter, 
the part marked out for him by the master mind 
which has concerted the whole. 

The breaking out of the war between the 
United States and Great Britain, multiplied the 
hazards and embarrassments of the enterprise. 
The disappointment as to convoy, rendered it 
difficult to keep up reinforcements and supplies ; 
and the loss of the Lark added to the tissue of 
misadventures. 

That Mr. Astor battled resolutely against every 
difficulty, and pursued his course in defiance of 
eveiy loss, has been sufficiently shown. Had he 
been seconded by suitable agents, and properly 



618 ASTORIA. 

protected by government, the ultimate failure of 
his jDlan might yet have been averted. It was 
his great misfortune, that his agents were not im- 
bued with his own spirit. Some had not capacity 
sufficient to comprehend the real nature and extent 
of his scheme ; others were alien in feeling and 
interest, and had been brought up in the service 
of a rival company. Whatever sympathies they 
might originally have had with him, were impaired, 
if not destroyed, by the war. They looked upon 
his cause as desperate, and only considered how 
they might make interest to regain a situation 
under their former employers. The absence of 
Mr. Hunt, the only real representative of Mr. 
Astor, at the time of the capitulation with the 
Northwest Company, completed the series of 
cross purposes. Had that gentleman been pres- 
ent, the transfer, in all probability, would not 
have taken place. 

It is painful, at all times, to see a grand and 
beneficial stroke of genius fail of its aim : but we 
regret the failure of this enterprise in a national 
point of view ; for, had it been crowned with 
success, it would have redounded greatly to the 
advantage and extension of our commerce. The 
profits drawn from the country in question by the 
British Fur Company, though of ample amount, 
form no criterion by which to judge of the advan- 
tages that would have arisen had it been entirely 
in the hands of the citizens of the United States. 
That company, as has been shown, is limited in 
the nature and scope of its operations, and can 
make but little use of the maritime facilities held 



CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS. 619 

out by an emporium and a harbor on that coast. 
In our hands, besides the roving bands of trappers 
and traders, the country would have been ex- 
plored and settled by mdustrious husbandmen ; 
and the fertUe valleys bordermg its rivers, and 
shut up among its mountains, would have been 
made to pour forth their agricultural treasures to 
contribute to the general wealth. 

In respect to commerce, we should have had a 
line of trading posts from the Mississippi and the 
Missouri across the Rocky Mountains, forming a 
high road from the great regions of the west to 
the shores of the Pacific. We should have had 
a fortified post and port at the mouth of the Co- 
lumbia, commanding the trade of that river and 
its tributaries, and of a wide extent of country 
and sea-coast ; carrying on an active and profit- 
able commerce with the Sandwich Islands, and a 
direct and frequent communication with China. 
Li a word, Astoria might have realized the anti- 
cipations of Mr. Astor, so well understood and 
appreciated by Mr. Jefferson, in gradually becom- 
ing a commercial empire beyond the mountains, 
peopled by "free and independent Americans, 
and Imked with us by ties of blood and interest." 

We repeat, therefore, our sincere regret, that 
our government should have neglected the over- 
ture of Mr. Astor, and suffered the moment to 
pass by, when full possession of this region might 
have been taken quietly, as a matter of course, 
and a military post established, without dispute, 
at Astoria. Our statesmen have become sensi- 
ble, when too late, of the importance of this 



620 . ASTORIA. 

measure. Bills have repeatedly been brought 
into Congress for the purpose, but without suc- 
cess ; and our rightful possessions on that coast, 
as well as our trade on the Pacific, have no rally- 
ing point protected by the national flag, and by a 
military force. 

In the mean time, the second period of ten 
years is fast elapsing. In 1838, the question of 
title will again come up, and most probably, in 
the present amicable state of our relations with 
Great Britain, will be again postponed. Every 
year, however, the litigated claim is growing in 
importance. There is no pride so jealous and 
irritable as the pride of territory. As one wave 
of emigration after another rolls into the vast 
regions of the west, and our settlements stretch 
towards the Rocky Mountains, the eager eyes of 
our pioneers will pry beyond, and they will be- 
come impatient of any barrier or impediment in 
the way of what they consider a grand outlet of 
our empire. Should any circumstance, therefore, 
unfortunately occur to disturb the present har- 
mony of the two nations, this ill-adjusted ques- 
tion, which now lies dormant, may suddenly start 
up mto one of belligerent import, and Astoria 
become the watchword in a contest for dominion 
on the shores of the Pacific. 



Since the above was written, the question of 
dommion over the vast territory beyond the Rocky 
Mountains, which for a time threatened to disturb 
the peaceful relations with our transatlantic kin- 



CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS. 621 

dred, has been finally settled in a spirit of mutual 
concession, and the venerable projector whose 
early enterprise forms the subject of this work 
had the satisfaction of knowing, ere his eyes 
closed upon the world, that the flag of his country 
again waved over " Astoria." 




APPENDIX. 



APPENDIX. 



Draught of a Petition to Congress^ sent by Mr. Astor 
in 1812. 

To the honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States, in Congress assembled, 

The petition of the American Fur Company respectfully 
showeth : 

That the trade with the several Indian tribes of 
North America, has, for many years past, been almost 
exclusively carried on by the merchants of Canada ; 
who, having formed powerful and extensive associa- 
tions for that purpose, being aided by British capital, 
and being encouraged by the favor and protection 
of the British government, could not be opposed, with 
any prospect of success by individuals of the United 
States. 

That by means of the above trade, thus systemati- 
cally pursued, not only the inhabitants of the United 
States have been deprived of commercial profits and 
advantages, to which they appear to have just and 
natural pretensions, but a great and dangerous in- 
fluence has been established over the Indian tribes, 
difficult to be counteracted, and capable of being 
exerted at critical periods, to the great injury and 
annoyance of our frontier settlements. 

That in order to obtain at least a part of the above 
trade, and more particularly that which is within the 
40 



626 APPENDIX. 

boundaries of the United States, your petitioners, in 
the year 1808, obtained an act of incorporation from 
the State of New York, whereby they are enabled, 
with a competent capital, to carry on the said trade 
with the Indians in such a manner as may be con- 
formable to the laws and regulations of the United 
States, in relation to such a commerce. 

That the capital mentioned in the said act, 
amounting to one million of dollars, having been 
duly formed, your petitioners entered with zeal and 
alacrity into those large and important arrangements, 
which were necessary for, or conducive to the object 
of their incorporation ; and, among other things, pur- 
chased a great part of the stock in trade, and trading 
establishments, of the Michilimackinac Com^^any of 
Canada. — Your petitioners also, with the expecta- 
tion of great public and private advantage from the 
use of the said establishments, ordered, during the 
spring and summer of 1810, an assortment of goods 
from England, suitable for the Indian trade ; which, 
in consequence of the President's proclamation of 
November of that year, were shipped to Canada 
instead of New York, and have been transported, 
under a very heavy expense, into the interior of the 
country. But as they could not legally be brought 
into the Indian country within the boundaries of the 
United States, they have been stored on the Island 
of St. Joseph, in Lake Huron, where they now 
remain. 

Your petitioners, with great deference and implicit 
submission to the wisdom of the national legislature, 
beg leave to suggest for consideration, whether they 
have not some claim to national attention and en- 
couragement, from the nature and importance of 
their undertaking ; which though hazardous and un- 
certain as it concerns their private emolument, must, 



APPENDIX. 627 

at any rate, redound to the public security and ad- 
vantage. If their undertaking shall appear to be of 
the description given, they would further suggest to 
your honorable bodies, that unless they can procure 
a regular supply for the trade in which they are 
engaged, it may languish, and be finally abandoned 
by American citizens ; when it will revert to its 
former channel, with additional, and perhaps with 
irresistible, power. 

Under these circumstances, and upon all those 
considerations of public policy which will present 
themselves to your honorable bodies, in connection 
with those already mentioned, your petitioners re- 
spectfully pray that a law may be passed to enable 
the President, or any of the heads of departments 
acting under his authority, to grant permits for the 
introduction of goods necessary for the supply of the 
Indians, into the Indian country that is within the 
boundaries of the United States, under such regula- 
tions, and with such restrictions, as may secure the 
public revenue and promote the public welfare. 

And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c. 
In witness whereof, the common seal of the Amer- 
ican Fur Company is hereunto affixed, the 
day of March, 1812. 
By order of the Corporation. 



AN ACT to enable the American Fur Company, and other 
citizens, to introduce goods necessary for the Indian trade 
into the territories within the boundaries of the United 
States. 

Whereas, the public peace and welfare require 
that the native Indian tribes, residing within the 
boundaries of the United States, should receive their 



628 APPENDIX. 

necessary supplies under the authority and from the 
citizens of the United States : Therefore, be it 
enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States, in Congress assembled, that it 
shall be lawful for the President of the United States, 
or any of the heads of departments thereunto by 
him duly authorized, from time to time to grant per- 
mits to the American Fur Company, their agents or 
factors, or any other citizens of the United States 
engaged in the Indian trade, to introduce into the 
Indian country, within the boundaries of the United 
States, such goods, wares, and merchandise, as may 
be necessary for the said trade, under such regula- 
tions and restrictions as the said President or heads 
of departments may judge proper ; any law or regu- 
lation to the contrary, in anywise, notwithstanding. 



Letter from Mr. Gallatin to Mr. Astor^ dated 

New York, August 5, 1835. 

Dear Sir, — In compliance with your request, I 
will state such facts as I recollect touching the sub- 
jects mentioned in your letter of 28th ult. I may be 
mistaken respecting dates and details, and will only 
relate general facts, which I well remember. 

In conformity with the treaty of 1794 with Great 
Britain, the citizens and subjects of each country 
were permitted to trade with the Indians residing in 
the territories of the other party. The reciprocity 
was altogether nominal. Since the conquest of Can- 
ada, the British had inherited from the French the 
whole fur trade, through the great lakes and their 
communications, with all the western Indians, whether 
residing in the British dominions or the United States. 



APPENDIX. 629 

They kept the important western posts on those lakes 
till about the year 1797. And the defensive Indian 
war, which the United States had to sustain fi'om 
1776 to 1795, had still more alienated the Indians, 
and secured to the British their exclusive trade, car- 
ried through the lakes, wherever the Indians in that 
quarter lived. No American could, without immi- 
nent danger of property and life, carry on that trade, 
even within the United States, by the way of either 
Michilimackinac or St. Mary's. And independent of 
the loss of commerce. Great Britain was enabled to 
preserve a most dangerous influence over our In- 
dians. 

It was under these circumstances that you commu- 
nicated to our government the prospect you had to 
be able, and your intention, to purchase one half of 
the interest of the Canadian Fur Company, engaged 
in trade by the way of Michilimackinac with our 
own Indians. You wished to know whether the 
plan met with the approbation of government, and 
how far you could rely on its protection and encour- 
agement. This overture was received with great 
satisfaction by the administration, and Mr. Jefferson, 
then President, wrote you to that effect. I was also 
directed, as Secretary of the Treasury, to write to you 
an official letter to the same purpose. On investi- 
gating the subject, it was found that the Executive 
had no authority to give you any direct aid ; and I 
believe you received nothing more than an entire 
approbation of your plan, and general assurances of 
the protection due to every citizen engaged in lawful 
and useful pursuits. 

You did effect the contemplated purchase, but in 
what year I do not recollect. Immediately before 
the war, you represented that a large quantity of 
merchandise, intended for the Indian trade, and in- 



630 APPENDIX. 

eluding arms and munitions of war, belonging to that 
concern of which you owned one half, was dej)Osited 
at a post on Lake Huron, within the British domin- 
ions ; that, in order to prevent their ultimately falling 
into the hands of Indians who might prove hostile, 
you were desirous to try to have them conveyed into 
the United States ; but that you were prevented by 
the then existing law of non-intercourse with the 
British dominions. 

The Executive could not*annul the provisions of 
that law. But I was directed to instruct the collec- 
tors on the lakes, in case you and your agents should 
voluntarily bring in and deliver to them any part of 
the goods above mentioned, to receive and keep them 
in their guard, and not to commence prosecutions 
until farther instructions : the intention being then to 
apply to Congress for an act remitting the forfeiture 
and penalties. I wrote accordingly, to that elFect, to 
the collectors of Detroit and Michilimackinac. 

The attempt to obtain the goods did not, however, 
succeed ; and I cannot say how far the failure injured 
you. But the war proved fatal to another much 
more extensive and important enterprise. 

Previous to that time, but I also forgot the year, 
you had undertaken to carry on a trade on your own 
account, though I believe under the New York 
charter of the American Fur Company, with the 
Indians west of the Rocky Mountains. This project 
was also communicated to government, and met, of 
course, with its full approbation, and best wishes, for 
your success. You carried it on, on the most exten- 
sive scale, sending several ships to the mouth of the 
Columbia River, and a large party by land across the 
mountains, and finally founding the establishment of 
Astoria. 

This unfortunately fell into the hands of the enemy 



APPENDIX. 631 

during the war, from circumstances Avith which I am 
but Imperfectly acquainted — being then absent on 
a foreign mission. T returned In September, 1815, 
and sailed again on a mission to France in June, 
1816. During that period I visited Washington 
twice — In October or November, 1815, and In 
March, 1816. On one of these occasions, and I be- 
lieve on the last, you mentioned to me that you were 
disposed once more to renew the attempt, and to re- 
establish Astoria, provided you had the protection of 
the American flag ; for which purpose, a lieutenant's 
command would be sufficient to you. You requested 
me to mention this to the President, which I did. 
Mr. Madison said he would consider the subject, and, 
although he did not commit himself, I thought that 
he received the proposal favorably. The message 
was vei'bal, and I do not know whether the applica- 
tion was ever renewed in a more formal manner. I 
sailed soon after for Europe, and was seven years 
absent. I never had the pleasure, since 1816, to see 
Mr. Madison, and never heard again any thing con- 
cerning the subject In question. 

I remain, dear sir, most respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

ALBERT GALLATIN. 
John Jacob Astor, Esq., 

New York. 



Notices of the Present State of the Fur Trade, chiefly 
extracted from an article published in Silliman's 
Magazine for January, 1834. 

The Northwest Company did not long enjoy the 
sway they had acquired over the trading regions of 



632 APPENDIX. 

the Columbia. A competition, ruinous in its expenses, 
which had long existed between them and the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, ended in their downfall and the 
ruin of most of the partners. The relict of the 
company became merged in the rival association, and 
the whole business was conducted under the name of 
the Hudson's Bay Company. 

This coalition took place in 1821. They then 
abandoned Astoria, and built a large establishment 
sixty miles up the river, on the right bank, which 
they called Fort Vancouver. This was in a neigh- 
borhood where provisions could be more readily pro- 
cured, and where there was less danger from mo- 
lestation by any naval force. The company are said 
to carry on an active and prosperous trade, and to 
give great encouragement to settlers. They are ex- 
tremely jealous, however, of any interference or par- 
ticipation in their trade, and monopolize it from the 
coast of the Pacific to the mountains, and for a con- 
siderable extent north and south. The American 
traders and trappers who venture across the moun- 
tains, instead of enjoying the participation in the 
trade of the river and its tributaries, that had been 
stipulated by treaty, are obliged to keep to the south, 
out of the track of the Hudson's Bay parties. 

Mr. Astor has withdrawn entirely from the Amer- 
ican Fur Company, as he has, In fact, from active 
business of every kind. That company is now 
headed by Mr. Ramsay Crooks ; its principal estab- 
lishment is at Michilimacklnac, and it receives its 
furs from the posts depending on that station, and 
from those on the Mississippi, Missouri, and Yellow 
Stone Rivers, and the great range of country extend- 
ing thence to the Rocky Mountains. This company 
has steamboats in its employ, with which it ascends 
the rivers, and penetrates to a vast distance into the 



APPENDIX. 633 

bosom of those regions formerly so painfully explored 
in keel-boats and barges, or by weary parties on 
horseback and on foot. The first irruption of steam- 
boats into the heart of these vast wildernesses is said 
to have caused the utmost astonishment and affright 
among their savage inhabitants. 

In addition to the main companies already men- 
tioned, minor associations have been formed, which 
push their way in the most intrepid manner to the 
remote parts of the far West, and beyond the moun- 
tain barriers. One of the most noted of these is 
Ashley's company, from St. Louis, who trap for them- 
selves, and drive an extensive trade with the Indians. 
The spirit, enterprise, and hardihood of Ashley, are 
themes of the highest eulogy in the far West, and his 
adventures and exploits furnish abundance of frontier 
stories. 

Another company of one hundred and fifty persons 
from New York, formed in 1831, and headed by 
Captain Bonneville of the United States army, has 
pushed its enterprise into tracts before but little 
known, and has brought considerable quantities of 
furs from the region between the Rocky Mountains 
and the coasts of Monterey and Upper California, on 
the Buenaventura and Timpanogos rivers. 

The fur countries, from the Pacific, east to the 
Rocky Mountains, are now occupied (exclusive of pri- 
vate combinations and individual trappers and traders) 
by the Russians ; and on the northwest A'om Behring's 
Strait to Queen Charlotte's Island, in north latitude 
fifty-three degrees, and by the Hudson's Bay Company 
thence, south of the Columbia River ; while Ashley's 
company, and that under Captain Bonneville, take 
the remainder of the region to California. Indeed, 
the whole compass from the Mississippi to the Pacific 
Ocean is traversed in every direction. The moun- 



634 APPENDIX. 

tains and forests, from the Arctic Sea to the Gulf of 
Mexico, are threaded, through every maze, by the 
hunter. Every river and tributary stream, fi-ora the 
Columbia to the mouth of the Rio del Norte, and 
from the M'Kenzie to the Colorado of the West, from 
their head springs to their junction, are searched 
and trapped for beaver. Almost all the American 
furs, which do not belong to the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany, find their way to New York, and are either 
distributed thence for home consumption, or sent to 
foreign markets. 

The Hudson's Bay Company ship their furs from 
their factories of York Fort and from Moose River, 
on Hudson's Bay ; their collection from Grand River, 
&c., they ship from Canada ; and the collection fi-om 
Columbia goes to London. None of their furs come 
to the United States, except through the London 
market. 

The export trade of furs from the United States 
is chiefly to London. Some quantities have been 
sent to Canton, and some few to Hamburgh ; and an 
increasing export trade in beaver, otter, nutria, and 
vicunia wool, prepared for the hatter's use, is carried 
on in Mexico. Some furs are exported from Balti- 
more, Philadelphia, and Boston ; but the principal 
shipments from the United States are from New York 
to London, from whence they are sent to Leipsic, a 
well-known mart for furs, where they are disposed of 
during the great fair in that city, and distributed to 
every part of the continent. 

The United States import from South America, 
nutria, vicunia, chinchilla, and a few deer-skins ; also 
fur seals from the Lobos Islands, off the river Plate. 
A quantity of beaver, otter, &c., are brought annu- 
ally from Santa Fe. Dressed furs for edgings, lin- 
ings, caps, muffs, &c., such as squirrel, genet, fitch 



APPENDIX. 635 

skins, and blue rabbit, are received from the north 
of Europe ; also cony and hare's fur ; but the 
largest importations are from London, where is con- 
centrated nearly the whole of the Korth Amer- 
ican fur trade. 

Such is the present state of the fur trade, by which 
it will appear that the extended sway of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, and its monopoly of the region 
of which Astoria was the key, has operated to tm-n 
the main current of this opulent trade into the 
coffers of Great Britain, and to render London the 
emporium instead of New York, as jNlr. Astor had 
intended. 

We will subjoin a few observations on the animals 
sought after in this traffic, extracted from the same 
intelligent source with the preceding remarks. 

Of the fur-bearing animals, " the precious ermine," 
so called by way of preeminence, is found, of the 
best quality, only in the cold regions of Europe and 
Asia.^ Its fur is of the most perfect whiteness, ex- 
cept the tip of its tail, which is of a brilliant shining 
black. With these black tips tacked on the skins, 
they are beautifully spotted, producing an effect 
often imitated, but never equalled in other furs. 
The ermine is of the genus mustela (weasel), and 
resembles the common weasel in its form ; is from 
fourteen to sixteen inches from the tip of the nose 
to the end of the tail. The body is from ten to 
twelve inches long. It lives in hollow trees, river 
banks, and especially in beech forests ; preys on 
small birds, is very shy, sleeping during the day, and 
employing the night in search of food. The fur of 
the older animals is preferred to the younger. It is 

1 An animal called the stoat, a kind of ermine, is said to be 
found in North America, but very inferior to the European 
and Asiatic. 



636 APPENDIX. 

taken by snares and traps, and sometimes shot with 
blunt arrows. Attempts have been made to domes- 
ticate it; but it is extremely wild, and has been 
found untameable. 

The sable can scarcely be called second to the 
ermine. It is a native of Northern Europe and 
Siberia, and is also of the genus mustela. In 
Samoieda, Yakutsk, Kamtschatka, and Russian Lap- 
land, it is found of the richest quality, and darkest 
color. In its habits, it resembles the ermine. It 
preys on small squirrels and birds, sleeps by day, 
and prowls for food during the night. It is so like 
the marten in every particular except its size, and 
the dark shade of its color, that naturalists have 
not decided whether it is the richest and finest of 
the marten tribe, or a variety of that species.i It 
varies in dimensions from eighteen to twenty inches. 

The rich dark shades of the sable, and the snowy 
whiteness of the ermine, the great depth, and the 
peculiar, almost flowing softness of their skins and 
fur, have combined to gain them a preference in all 
countries, and in all ages of the world. In this age, 
they maintain the same relative estimate in regard 
to other furs, as when they marked the rank of the 
proud crusader, and were emblazoned in heraldry : 
but in most European nations, they are now worn 
promiscuously by the opulent. 

The martens from Northern Asia and the Moun- 
tains of Kamtschatka are much superior to the Amer- 
ican, though in every pack of American marten 
skins there are a certain number which are beauti- 

1 The finest fur and the darkest color are most esteemed ; 
and whether the difference arises from the age of the animal, 
or from some peculiarity of location, is not known. They do 
not vary more from the common marten than the Arabian 
horse from the shaggy Canadian. 



APPENDIX. 63.7 

fully shaded, and of a dark brown olive color, of 
great depth and richness. 

Next these in value, for ornament and utility, are 
the sea-otter, the mink, and the fiery fox. 

The fiery fox is the bright red of Asia ; is more 
brilliantly colored and of finer fur than any other 
of the genus. It is highly valued for the splendor of 
its red color and the fineness of its fur. It is the 
standard of value on the northeastern coast of Asia. 
The sea-otter, which was first introduced into 
commerce in 1725, fii'om the Aleutian and Km-ile 
Islands, is an exceedingly fine, soft, close fur, jet 
black in winter, with a silken gloss. The fur of the 
young animal is of a beautiful brown color. It is 
met with in great abundance in Behring's Island, 
Kamtschatka, Aleutian and Fox Islands, and is also 
taken on the opposite coasts of North America. It 
is sometimes taken with nets, but more fi-equently 
with clubs and spears. Then- food is principally 
lobster and other shell-fish. 

In 1780 furs had become so scarce in Siberia, that 
the supply was insufficient for the demand in the 
Asiatic countries. It was at this time that the sea- 
otter was introduced into the markets for China. 
The skins brought such incredible prices, as to 
originate immediately several American and British 
expeditions to the northern islands of the Pacific, to 
Nootka Sound, and the northwest coast of America ; 
but the Russians already had possession of the tract 
which they now hold, and had arranged a trade for 
the sea-otter with the Koudek tribes. They do not 
engross the trade, however ; the American northwest 
tradmg ships prociu-e them, all along the coast, from 
the Indians. 

At one period, the fur seals formed no inconsider- 
able item in the trade. South Georgia, in south 



638 APPENDIX. 

latitude fifty-five degrees, discovered in 1675, was 
explored by Captain Cook in 1771. The Americans 
immediately commenced carrying seal skins thence 
to China, where they obtained the most exorbitant 
prices. One million two hundred thousand skins 
have been taken from that island alone, and nearly 
an equal number from the Island of Desolation, since 
they were fia^-st resorted to for the purpose of com- 
merce. 

The discovery of the South Shetlands, sixty-three 
degrees south latitude, in 1818, added surprisingly to 
the trade in fur seals. The number taken from the 
South Shetlands in 1821 and 1822 amounted to three 
hundred and twenty thousand. This valuable animal 
is now almost extinct in all these islands, owing to 
the exterminating system adopted by the hunters. 
They are still taken on the Lobos Islands, where the 
provident government of Montevideo restrict the 
fishery, or hunting, within certain limits, which in- 
sures an annual return of the seals. At certain 
seasons, these amphibia, for the purpose of renewing 
their coat, come up on the dark frowning rocks and 
precipices, where there is not a trace of vegetation. 
In the middle of January, the islands are partially 
cleared of snow, where a few patches of short strag- 
gling grass spring up in favorable situations ; but the 
seals do not resort to it for food. They remain on 
the rocks not less than two months, without any 
sustenance, when they return much emaciated to the 
sea. 

Bears of various species and colors, many varieties 
of the fox, the wolf, the beaver, the otter, the marten, 
the raccoon, the badger, the wolverine, the mink, the 
lynx, the muskrat, the woodchuck, the rabbit, the 
hare, and the squhrel, are natives of North Amer- 
ica. 



APPENDIX. 639 

The beaver, otter, lynx, fisher, hare, and raccoon, 
are used principally for hats ; while the bears of sev- 
eral varieties furnish an excellent material for sleigh 
linings, for cavahy caps, and other military equip- 
ments. The fur of the black fox is the most valu- 
able of any of the American varieties ; and next 
to that the red, which is exported to China and 
Smyrna. In China, the red is employed for trim- 
mings, linings, and robes ; the latter being variegated 
by adding the black fur of the paws, in spots or 
waves. There are many other varieties of American 
fox, such as the gray, the white, the cross, the silver, 
and the dun-colored. The silver fox is a rare ani- 
mal, a native of the woody country below the falls 
of the Columbia River. It has a long, thick, deep 
lead-colored fur, intermingled with long hairs, inva- 
riably white at the top, forming a bright lustrous 
silver gray, esteemed by some more beautiful than 
any other kind of fox. 

The skins of the buffalo, of the Rocky Mountain 
sheep, of various deer, and of the antelope, are in- 
cluded in the fur trade with the Indians and trap- 
pers of the north and west. 

Fox and seal skins are sent from Greenland to 
Denmark. The white fm- of the arctic fox and polar 
bear is sometimes found in the packs brought to the 
traders by the most northern tribes of Indians, but 
is not particularly valuable. The silver-tipped 
rabbit is peculiar to England, and is sent thence to 
Russia and China. 

Other furs are employed and valued according to 
the caprices of fashion, as weU in those countries 
where they are needed for defenses against the 
severity of the seasons, as among the inhabitants of 
milder climates, who, being of Tartar or Sclavonian 
descent, are said to inherit an attachment to furred 



MO APPENDIX. 

clotMng. Such are the inhabitants of Poland, of 
Southern Kussia, of China, of Persia, of Turkey, and 
all the nations of Gothic origin in the middle and 
"western parts of Europe. Under the burning suns 
of Syria and Egypt, and the mild climes of Bucharia 
and Independent Tartary, there is also a constant 
demand, and a great consumption, where there exists 
no physical necessity. In our own temperate lati- 
tudes, besides their use in the arts, they are in re- 
quest for ornament and warmth during the winter, 
and large quantities are annually consumed for both 
purposes in the United States. 

From the foregoing statements, it appears that 
the fur trade must henceforward decline. The ad- 
vanced state of geographical science shows that no 
new countries remain to be explored. In North 
America the animals are slowly decreasing, from the 
persevering efforts and the indiscriminate slaughter 
practised by the hunters, and by the appropriation 
to the uses of man of those forests and rivers which 
have afforded them food and protection. They 
recede with the aborigines, before the tide of civili- 
zation ; but a diminished supply will remain in the 
mountains and uncultivated tracts of this and other 
countries, if the avidity of the hunter can be re- 
strained within proper limitations. 



Height of the Rocky Mountains. 

Various estimates have been made of the height 
of the Rocky Mountains, but it is doubtful whether 
any have, as yet, done justice to their real altitude, 
which promises to place them only second to the 
highest mountains of the known world. Their 



APPENDIX. 641 

height has been diminished to the eye by the great 
elevation of the plains from which they rise. They 
consist, according to Long, of ridges, knobs, and 
peaks, variously disposed. The more elevated parts 
are covered with perpetual snows, which contribute 
to give them a luminous, and, at a great distance, 
even a brilliant appearance ; whence they derived, 
among some of the first discoverers, the name of 
the Shining Mountains. 

James's Peak has generally been cited as the 
highest of the chain ; and its elevation above the 
common level has been ascertained, by a trigonomet- 
rical measurement, to be about eight thousand five 
hundred feet. IVIr. Long, however, judged, from the 
position of the snow near the summits of other peaks 
and ridges at no great distance from it, that they 
were much higher. Having heard Professor Ren- 
wick, of iSTew York, express an opinion of the alti- 
tude of these mountains far beyond what had usually 
been ascribed to them, we applied to him for the 
authority on which he grounded his observation, and 
here subjoin his reply : — 

Columbia College. New York, February 23, 1836. 

Dear Sir, — In compliance with your request, I 
have to communicate some facts in relation to the 
heights of the Rocky Mountains, and the sources 
whence I obtained the information. 

In conversation with Simon M'GilUvray, Esq., a 
partner of the Northwest Company, he stated to me 
his impression, that the mountains in the vicinity of 
the route pursued by the traders of that company 
were nearly as high as the Himalayas. He had 
himself crossed by this route, seen the snowy sum- 
mits of the peaks, and experienced a degree of cold 
which required a spirit thermometer to indicate it. 
41 



642 APPENDIX. 

His authority for the estimate of the heights was 
a gentleman who had been employed for several 
years as surveyor of that company. This conversa- 
tion occurred about sixteen years since. 

A year or two afterwards, I had the pleasure of 
dining, at Major Delafield's, with Mr. Thompson, the 
gentleman referred to by Mr. M'Gillivray. I in- 
quired of him in relation to the circumstances men- 
tioned by Mr. M'Gillivray, and he stated, that, by 
the joint means of the barometric and trigonometric 
measurement, he had ascertained the height of one 
of the peaks to be about twenty-five thousand feet, 
and there were others of nearly the same height in 
the vicinity. 

I am, dear sir, 

Yours truly, 

JAMES RENWICK. 
To W. Irving, Esq. 



Suggestions with respect to the Indian tribes^ and the 
protection of our Trade. 

In the course of this work, a few general remarks 
have been hazarded respecting the Indian tribes of 
the prairies, and the dangers to be apprehended from 
them in future times to our trade beyond the Rocky 
Mountains and with the Spanish frontiers. Since 
writing those remarks, we have met with some 
excellent observations and suggestions, in manuscript, 
on the same subject, written by Captain Bonneville, 
of the United States army, who has lately returned 
from a long residence among the tribes of the Rocky 
Mountains. Captain B. approves highly of the plan 
recently adopted by the tlnited States government 



APPENDIX. 643 

for the organization of a regiment of dragoons for 
the protection of our western frontier, and the trade 
across the prairies. " No other species of military 
force," he observes, " is at all competent to cope 
with these restless and wandering hordes, who re- 
quire to be opposed with swiftness quite as much as 
with strength ; and the consciousness that a troop, 
uniting these qualifications, is always on the alert to 
avenge their outrages upon the settlers and traders, 
will go very far towards restraining them from the 
perpetration of those thefts and murders which they 
have heretofore committed with impunity, whenever 
stratagem or superiority of force has given them the 
advantage. Their interest already has done some- 
thing towards their pacification with our coun- 
trymen. From the traders among them, they receive 
their supplies in the greatest abundance, and upon 
very equitable terms ; and when it is remembered 
that a very considerable amount of property is year- 
ly distributed among them by the government, as 
presents, it will readily be perceived that they are 
greatly dependent upon us for their most valued 
resources. If, superadded to this inducement, a fre- 
quent display of military power be made in their 
territories, there can be little doubt that the desired 
security and peace will be speedily afibrded to our 
own people. But the idea of establishing a perma- 
nent amity and concord amongst the various east and 
west tribes themselves, seems to me, if not wholly 
impracticable, at least infinitely more difiicult than 
many excellent philanthropists have hoped and be- 
lieved. Those nations which have so lately emi- 
grated from the midst of our settlements to live upon 
our western borders, and have made some progress 
in agriculture and the arts of civilization, have, in 
the property they have acquired, and the protection 



644 APPENDIX. 

and aid extended to them, too many advantages to 
be induced readily to take up arms against us, par- 
ticularly if they can be brought to the full conviction 
that their new homes will be permanent and undis- 
turbed ; and there is every reason and motive, in 
policy as well as humanity, for our ameliorating their 
condition by every means in our power. But the 
case is far different with regard to the Osages, the 
Kanzas, the Pawnees, and other roving hordes beyond 
the frontiers of the settlements. Wild and restless 
in their character and habits, they are by no means 
so susceptible of control or civilization ; and they 
are urged by strong, and, to them, irresistible causes 
in their situation and necessities, to the daily perpe- 
tration of violence and fraud. Their permanent 
subsistence, for example, is derived from the 
buffalo hunting grounds, which lie a great distance 
from their towns. Twice a year they are obliged to 
make long and dangerous expeditions, to procure the 
necessary provisions for themselves and their families. 
For this purpose horses are absolutely requisite, for 
their own comfort and safety, as well as for the 
transportation of their food, and their little stock of 
valuables ; and without them they would be reduced, 
during a great portion of the year, to a state of ab- 
ject misery and privation. They have no brood 
mares, nor any trade sufficiently valuable to supply 
their yearly losses, and endeavor to keep up their 
stock by stealing horses from the other tribes to the 
west and southwest. Our own people, and the tribes 
immediately upon our borders, may indeed be protected 
from their depredations ; and the Kanzas, Osages, 
Pawnees, and others, may be induced to remain 
at peace among themselves, so long as they are per- 
mitted to pursue the old custom of levying upon the 
Camanches and other remote nations for their com- 



APPENDIX. 645 

plement of steeds for the warriors, and pack-horses 
for their transportations to and from the hunting 
ground. But the instant they are forced to maintain 
a peaceful and inoffensive demeanor towards the 
tribes along the Mexican border, and find that every 
violation of their rights is followed by the avenging 
arm of our government, the result must be, that, re- 
duced to a wretchedness and want which they can 
ill brook, and feeling the certainty of punishment for 
every attempt to ameliorate their condition in the 
only way they as yet comprehend, they will abandon 
their unfruitful territory and remove to the neigh- 
borhood of the Mexican lands, and there carry on a 
vigorous predatory warfare indiscriminately upon the 
Mexicans and our own people trading or travelling 
in that quarter. 

" The Indians of the prairies are almost innumer- 
able. Their superior horsemanship, which, in my 
opinion, far exceeds that of any other people on the 
face of the earth, their daring bravery, their cun- 
ning and skill in the warfare of the wilderness, and 
the astonishing rapidity and secrecy with which they 
are accustomed to move in their martial expeditions, 
will always render them most dangerous and vexa- 
tious neighbors, when their necessities or their dis- 
contents may drive them to hostility with our fron- 
tiers. Their mode and principles of warfare will 
always protect them from final and irretrievable de- 
feat, and secure their families from participating in 
any blow however severe, which our retribution 
might deal out to them. 

" The Camanches lay the Mexicans under contri- 
bution for horses and mules, which they are always 
engaged in stealing from them in incredible numbers ; 
and from the Camanches, all the roving tribes of the 
far West, by a similar exertion of skill and daring, 



646 APPENDIX. 

supply themselves in turn. It seems to me, there- 
fore, under all these circumstances, that the apparent 
futility of any philanthropic schemes for the benefit 
of these nations, and a regard for our own protection, 
concur in recommending that we remain satisfied 
with maintaining peace upon our own immediate 
borders, and leave the Mexicans and the Camanches, 
and all the tribes hostile to these last, to settle their 
differences and diflSculties in their own way. 

" In order to give full security and protection to 
our trading parties circulating in all directions 
through the great prairies, I am under the impression, 
that a few judicious measures on the part of the 
government, involving a very limited expense, would 
be sufficient. And, in attaining this end, which of 
itself has already become an object of public inter- 
est and import, another, of much greater consequence, 
might be brought about, namely, the securing to the 
States a most valuable and increasing trade, now 
carried on by caravans directly to Santa Fe. 

" As to the first desideratum : the Indians can 
only be made to respect the lives and property of 
the American parties, by rendering them dependent 
upon us for their supplies ; which can alone be done 
with complete effect by the establishment of a trad- 
ing post, with resident traders, at some point which 
will unite a sufficient number of advantages to at- 
tract the several tribes to itself, in preference to 
their present places of resort for that purpose ; for it 
is a well-known fact, that the Indians will always 
protect their trader, and those in whom he is inter- 
ested, so long as they derive benefits from him. The 
alternative presented to those at the north, by the 
residence of the agents of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany amongst them, renders the condition of our 
people in that quarter less secure ; but I think it 



APPENDIX. 647 

will appear at once, upon the most cursory examina- 
tion, that no such opposition further south could be 
maintained, so as to weaken the benefits of such an 
establishment as is here suggested. 

" In considering this matter, the first question 
which presents itself is, where do these tribes now 
make their exchanges, and obtain their necessary 
supplies. They resort almost exclusively to the 
Mexicans, who, themselves, purchase fi^om us what- 
ever the Indians most seek for. In this point of 
view, therefore, cceteris paribus, it would be an easy 
matter for us to monopolize the whole traffic. All 
that is wanting is some location more convenient for 
the natives than that offered by the Mexicans, to 
give us the undisputed superiority ; and the se- 
lection of such a point requires but a knowledge 
of the single fact, that these nations invariably win- 
ter upon the head waters of the Arkansas, and there 
prepare all their buffalo robes for trade. These robes 
are heavy, and, to the Indian, very difficult of trans- 
portation. Nothing but necessity induces them to 
travel any great distance with such inconvenient 
baggage. A post, therefore, established upon the 
head waters of the Arkansas, must infallibly secure 
an uncontested preference over that of the Mexicans ; 
even at their prices and rates of barter. Then let 
the dragoons occasionally move about among these 
people in large parties, impressing them with the 
proper estimate of our power to protect and to pun- 
ish, and at once we have complete and assured se- 
curity for all citizens whose enterprise may lead them 
beyond the border, and an end to the outrages and 
depredations which now dog the footsteps of the 
traveller, in the prairies, and arrest and depress the 
most advantageous commerce. Such a post need not 
be stronger than fifty men ; twenty-five to be employed 



648 APPENDIX. 

as hunters, to supply the garrison, and the residue as a 
defense against any hostility. Situated here upon 
the good lands of the Arkansas, in the midst of 
abundance of timber, while it might be kept up 
at a most inconsiderable expense, such an estab- 
lishment within ninety miles of Santa Fe or Taos 
would be more than justified by the other and more 
important advantages before alluded to, leaving the 
protection of the traders with the Indian tribes 
entirely out of the question. 

" This great trade, carried on by caravans to 
Santa Fe, annually loads one hundred wagons with 
merchandise, which is bartered in the northern prov- 
inces or Mexico for cash and for beaver furs. The 
numerous articles excluded as contraband, and the 
exorbitant duties laid upon all those that are ad- 
mitted by the Mexican government, present so many 
obstacles to commerce, that I am well persuaded, 
that if a post, such as is here suggested, should be 
established on the Arkansas, it would become the 
place of deposit, not only for the present trade, but 
for one infinitely more extended. Here the Mexi- 
cans might purchase their supplies, and might well 
aiford to sell them at prices which would silence all 
competition from any other quarter. 

" These two trades, with the Mexicans and the 
Indians, centring at this post, would give rise to a 
large village of traders and laborers, and would un- 
doubtedly be hailed, by all that section of country, 
as a permanent and invaluable advantage. A few 
pack-horses would carry all the clothing and ammu- 
nition necessary for the post during the first year, 
and two light field-pieces would be all the artillery 
required for its defense. Afterwards, all the horses 
required for the use of the establishment might be 
purchased from the Mexicans at the low price of ten 



APPENDIX. 649 

dollars each ; and, at the same time, whatever ani- 
mals might be needed to supply the losses among 
the dragoons traversing the neighborhood, could be 
readily procured. The Upper ISIissouri Indians can 
furnish horses, at very cheap rates, to any number 
of the same troops who might be detailed for the 
defense of the northern frontier ; and, in other 
respects, a very limited outlay of money would suffice 
to maintain a post in that section of the country. 

" From these considerations, and my own personal 
observation, I am, therefore, disposed to believe, that 
two posts established by the government, one at the 
mouth of the Yellowstone River, and one on the 
Arkansas, would completely protect all our people in 
every section of the great wilderness of the West ; 
while other advantages, at least with regard to one 
of them, confirm and urge the suggestion. A fort 
at the mouth of the Yellowstone, garrisoned by fifty 
men, would be perfectly safe. The establishment 
might be constructed simply with a view to the 
stores, stables for the dragoons' horses, and quarters 
for the regular garrison ; the rest being provided 
with sheds or lodges, erected in the vicinity, for their 
residence durins the winter months." 



THE END. 



